When Clark Comes Back
by mygyps17
Summary: Set after season 5's hypnotic, Chloe has to deal with being put in the middle of Clark and Lana's break up
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This was my very first attempt at writing down a Chlark fantasy, or alternate coping story I'd thought up years ago to make me feel better about 'the triangle'. It's a lot different from when I first imagined it. Naturally; years _have _gone by; but it's pretty much got the same plots and such. I really hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Smallville, the Characters, nothing. Just my laptop.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

"Chloe wake up."

There's a sudden invasion of lights and sounds as my cousin yanks the blankets from my face. I bury my head in the pillows and groan out loud. Normally I'm a morning person; but last night was a long one.

Lois snatches the pillow away from me; and judging by the subtle thud, throws it across the room.

'_What's she doing up so early anyway_.'

"I'm up. I'm up," I say as I sit up and run my hands over my face and hair.

"Guess who called me this morning to talk to you..."

I blink a couple of times and take in my surroundings. It doesn't take me long to figure out I'm in Clark's room. He must've carried me up here last night/this morning.

"…..you could have at least given me a heads up..."

I get out of the bed and stretch; noting that as I do my shirt inches upward, revealing bare thighs. Clark must've also remembered how much I hate sleeping in jeans.

"...lucky for you I was able to come up with a spur of the moment cover story. No pat on the back necessary, I've already done it myself..."

I make a mental note to thank him then immediately scratch it. It wouldn't be the best idea to thank my very male best friend for taking off my pants while I slept. I smile a little at the thought of how red Clark's cheeks would grow if I _did_ do such a thing. I might just do it anyway.

"It's not funny Chloe; I told her you'd meet her for lunch instead."

_'Meet her? Who the hell am I supposed to-Lana!'_

"Oh my God Lois, I'm supposed to meet Lana for breakfast!"

"I just said th-"

"What time is it?"

Lois just looks at me; and I can't quite comprehend the expression she's giving me right now, but I don't have the time to figure it out.

"Lois! The time," I command.

"Chloe, it's almost 10:30, but I told Lana you'd meet her for lunch instead."

I grab her arms firmly, looking her square in the eyes. I'm well aware of the fact that I might be wearing a slightly manic expression.

"Lois, what else did you tell her?"

"I told her we stayed up and had a couple of drinks too many, and that you have a major hangover right now."

She slowly pries my fingers from her arms, and examines them one by one; checking for bruises. I'm tempted to roll my eyes at her. I didn't grab her that hard.

"I let her know I'd wake you up in a few and that you'd meet her for lunch instead," she says slowly. Very slowly. As if she's explaining to a small child why two plus two couldn't be three slowly. I relax a little until she tells me I'm supposed to be meeting Lana in less than 3 hours. That's how long it takes to get there for goodness sakes!

"You know how long it takes to get to Metropolis Lois! Why didn't you come and get me earlier?"

I start looking around for something to wear and spot the jeans I wore yesterday folded neatly on the desk.

"I tried but you weren't answering your pho-"

"I need your shirt."

"My -"

"Yes your shirt. Take it off," she looks at me again, and I swear she thinks I've gone off the deep end. And maybe I have. Ever since Lana and Clark broke up, I've been feeling like a child caught in the middle of her parent's nasty custody battle. On the one hand, I've got my super-powered best friend who depends on my help with his many endeavors; on the other is Lana, who not even two weeks ago was engaging in suicidal attempts to see her parents as way of coping with the divorce…er break-up. Add classes at Met U and my work at the daily planet and well, I'm pretty much up to my neck and drowning in stress.

"I can maybe get away with wearing the same jeans as yesterday, but not the same shirt," I explain.

Lois visibly relaxes. Obviously that's a sane enough reason for me to want her shirt. But then…

"Wait; what am I going to wear?"

I walk past her and open the closet door. I gesture impatiently with a wave of my hands at the many shirts inside.

"Not the all you can wear plaid and flannel buffet," she groans. "Why can't _you_ wear one of these things?"

"Because _I_ spent the night at _your_ place Lois; and unless you have some of Clark's shirts hidden in your closet -"

"Okay okay, I get your point."

She takes off the t-shirt and hands it to me while going through Clark's closet.

'_For someone who hates Clark's wardrobe as much as Lois claims to, this t-shirt is the same exact blue Clark is fond of wearing'_.

If I wasn't in panic mode right now, I'd tease her about it.

I snatch my jeans off the desk revealing three pictures. One is of Clark with his parents. Another is of Clark, Pete and me during our freshman year. The last one is of me. Just me. I haven't been up here in forever. Most of our time is spent in the living room, the Talon, the loft; or the Daily Planet.

Absently I wonder whether or not it's always been here, or if it's a replacement for one that's been put away recently. And before I can decide whether or not I actually want to know the answer, the door opens and Clark comes in.

"Jeez Smallville, knock much. We're getting dressed!"

I look at Lois slightly confused. She's already dressed.

"Your phone was ringing," Clark says while staring fixedly at my face and ignoring Lois.

"Who was it?" The question is just a formality. I'm already pretty sure of who it was.

"Lana. But I didn't answer it," he adds hurriedly.

He holds my phone out to me; and when I reach for it, I notice my pants are still in my hands. That would explain why his eyes haven't left my face since he opened the door; and if it weren't for the fact that Clark can see through things like walls, clothes, metals, clothes, wood, and clothes, I probably would have had the decency to try and hide myself.

"Just put it on the dresser," I say as I put one foot in my pant legs. He does as I ask and leaves the room.

"What the hell was that all about?"

I'd completely forgotten Lois was there; and as a result, I end up losing my balance at the sound of her voice. I land flat on my rear with a dull but painful thud.

Tears spring to my eyes and I close them while holding onto the back of my head. Incidentally, while trying to keep from landing face first, I've managed to split the back of my skull on a corner of the desk instead.

_'Smooth Sullivan.'_

Lois rushes over to me, but hers is not the voice I hear first.

"Chloe are you okay?"

I jerk my eyes open, remove my hand from my head, and smile at the sound of Clark's voice. I don't like hospitals. Clark is very fond of suggesting and making me go. My best bet is to convince him that I'm fine and in no pain whatsoever.

He kneels in front of me; His face no more than a few inches from my own. Evidently I hadn't been fast enough at dropping my hand because he's massaging the very same spot with his fingers while staring at my face intently. It takes all of my strength and then some not to wince as he so obviously wants me to do. There's no doubt in mind he'll whisk me off to Smallville General if I so much as blink too many times.

"I'm fine Clark."

I reach back and disengage his fingers from my head.

I can see Lois staring at Clark with a bewildered expression. She's probably wondering how he got here so fast. I wish he'd leave in the same fashion.

"I just tripped over my pants."

I gesture towards the heap pooled around my ankles; my attempt at drawing his attention to the fact that I'm not wearing them.

He stands up and let's his eyes sweep over the length of my body. Satisfied with what he sees, he nods his head once in approval and leaves. Lois follows after him, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Until…

Lois shuts the door softly, and locks it. I gulp as she turns back to me with an expression I recognize.

_'Not good'_.

I begin pulling on my pants just to have something to do and look at other than her.

"Chloe are you and Clark...Have you and Clark..." Lois clears her throat and I begin to realize what she's trying to ask me. "Last night did you and Clark -"

"No! Jeez Lois how could you think that?"

I zip up my pants and look around for my shoes.

"Oh I don't know; maybe because I found you asleep in his bed wearing nothing but a shirt..."

"You've slept in his bed wearing nothing but a shirt; _his _shirt in fact," I point out.

"You're able to have a normal conversation wearing nothing but said shirt..."

"You two are able to hold a normal conversation with less than _said_ shirt. Like that red bikini you just bought last week."

"And the way he was looking at you just now," she continues as if she hadn't heard a word I just said. And she probably hasn't.

"How was he looking at me just now?"

"I don't know how to explain it Chloe, it was like he was focused on only you. _All _of you," she scans her eyes up and down my body for emphasis.

And since I can't exactly tell my cousin he was just x-raying me, I settled for, "He was just making sure I was okay; and besides Lana's my best friend. How could you think I'd date her ex when she's obviously not over him yet? I could never hurt her that way. She-oh my god Lana!" _'Damn it!'_

"Lois I gotta go," I yell over my shoulder as I race out of the room, down the stairs, out of the front door, and to my car. But mostly I race away from Lois and her game of twenty questions.


	2. Chapter 2

I made it. Not that Lana would've noticed if I were late. She doesn't even look up as I approach the table. I don't take it personal. Lana doesn't notice much of anything anymore.

"Hey Lana."

She jumps a little, and upon seeing me, she smiles. I wince when I get a good look at her face. She's been crying again.

"Chloe, hi," she whispers wiping the tears that contradict her forced smile. It really is a painful sight to behold.

"Any longer and I was gonna start without you," she jokes feebly. It was then that I realized she wasn't whispering. She'd lost her voice. More than likely it happened last night. With me gone, she could cry as long, hard, and loud as she wanted without being ashamed.

I sit down in front of her. We don't have much to say to each other. To be completely honest we don't have much in common. Not books, movies, food, music; nothing except maybe Clark, and to state the obvious, that topic is off limits.

We order our food and wait in silence. I want to say something to break it said silence; I feel obligated to. _I _was the one who invited her to breakfast for some much needed girl time after all; and now I'm blowing it big time.

"Lana I -"

She freezes; and at first I think it's because she senses I'm going to give her advice on how to handle her break up; but then I notice she's not looking at me. She's looking _past_ me. I follow her eyes to the point of their fixation. Clark is standing outside of the diner looking in on us.

"Excuse me," I mutter as I walk purposely towards the door.

"Clark what are you doing here?" I grind out through clenched teeth. I quickly glance at Lana to see how she's dealing with his sudden arrival. She's not even looking our way, or at least she's pretending not to anyway.

"I'm sorry Chloe but I need your help."

"Right now?" I hiss sneaking another peek at Lana. "You could've called first."

He holds my phone out to me.

'_Or not.'_

"My mom's chief of staff was killed last night."

"Killed?"

"They believe it was a homicide. There was glass everywhere. It was...bad"

Immediately all irritation I'd been feeling towards him evaporates as sympathy begins to settle into the pit of my stomach.

"_You_ found her, didn't you?"

"Her foster child, Maddie, was hiding under the bed," he answers without answering. I didn't need an answer anyway. I can tell that he was indeed the one who'd found the victim. He's got the "I should've saved her…if I'd only been a few seconds faster" look on his face.

"She's been at the farm with me for the last couple of hours."

"Just you?" I smile.

He shrugs slightly. "Mom's in Topeka. She's been in emergency meetings all day."

He steps closer to me, glancing around for people who might overhear our conversation. When satisfied, he leans forward and continues.

"Maddie got upset a few minutes ago and all of the light bulbs in the loft broke."

"Broke?"

"Shattered"

"Shattered," I repeat "Like the glass in her foster mother's house? Do you think she- "

"No. she didn't do it."

"How can you be sure?"

"She told me she didn't do it."

"She told you she didn't do it," I repeat slowly hoping that if he heard it replayed back to him he'd realize how absurd he sounds.

"Yes. She told me she didn't do it, and I believe her," he challenges.

'_He's always believing some damn body'_.

"What do you want me to do?" I sigh.

"I need you to find anything you can on her. Where she's from, who her parents are, where they are, what she-"

"Clark?" I interrupt as I realize something important "Where _is_ Maddie?"

"She's at the farm with Lois."

"She's with... you left a glass-breaking foster-mother-killing nine year old with my cousin!"

"She didn't do it Chloe! You see! This is the reason I don't tell anyone my secret. They learn about what you can do and everything that goes wrong is automatically your fault. Didn't you learn anything from Alicia?"

"I for-"

"Well I can..._will_ never forget."

I want to apologize, but I don't trust my voice to work right now. He's right; as usual, and I bow my head in shame. I feel like a child being scolded by her father. This happens a lot between us; and I should be used to it by now. But I'm not; it still hurts.

"How's she doing?" he asks softly. I chance a glance at him. He's staring at Lana.

"I have her phone number and address if you'd like to have it," I say testing the sturdiness of my voice. It's surprisingly strong considering how very close to tears I was a second ago.

"Look Clark," I sigh placing my hand on his forearm. He gives me his full attention "She's right there; just...just talk to her" I plea; both for his sake and mine.

"I don't think that's such a good idea Chloe," he smiles. It's such a sad smile. I can feel my heart breaking for him. I drop my hand from his arm and hang my head.

'_I tried'_

I'm still staring at my shoes when I feel his fingers encircle my arms.

I look up at him; reluctantly tearing my gaze from the fascinating sight by my feet; an ant carrying a chip across the sidewalk. I'd rather watch that ant all day than go another day through this; this Clark, Lana…thing.

"Finish your lunch," He stoops a little and looks me square in the eyes. "Call me when you get anything?"

I know what he wants me to say. Never one to disappoint, well not Clark at least, I put a smile on my face and give in.

"Top of my speed dial."

He smiles at his "good little trooper", and I halfway expect him to pat me on the head. Instead, he leans in, presses his lips to my forehead, murmurs a 'thank you', and leaves. It's a step up from the anticipated head pat, but still patronizing as hell.

I shake my head in amusement and stare after him for a second. This is probably my millionth time wondering just how long he'll walk at human speed before zooming off.

When I get back inside, I'm still smiling a little. This will also be my millionth time wishing _I _could just zoom off too.

I mentally shake those thoughts away; (because they really don't do me any good), take my seat, and prepare to enjoy my meal…only I can't. Not with the way Lana is staring at me. Being Clark's wing-man for so long has enabled me to recognize one of the most dangerous expressions another person can have concerning him. Curiosity. I immediately scan my brain for believable answers to questions from "how Clark got here so fast" to "what we were talking about". It doesn't take long. Like I said, I've been doing this for a while now.

I take a bite of my sandwich. "How's your food," I ask nodding towards her untouched plate.

"Are we honestly going to pretend like nothing happened?"

_'Here we go.'_

"No, of course not."

I wait for her to elaborate. She doesn't bite.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Chloe don't do that."

She put her hand up, palm facing me; it's a stop gesture, and I want to ask her what I'm not supposed to be doing. She closes her eyes and works her jaw from side to side. When she opens her eyes I can see that she's nearly in tears; and when she looks at me, I can see that she's hurt.

"I just want to know how long. I think you owe me that much."

Owe her? Why would _I _owe her anything? It's Clark's secret.

"Lana I don't know what you're talking about," I opt for my favorite protect-Clark's-secret deflector. She swallows quickly and narrows her eyes at me.

"Clark kissed you!" she accuses.

My jaw drops. So does my sandwich. This isn't exactly where I thought this conversation was heading. In fact, I'd rather she asked me about Clark's secret. At least I was prepared to answer those types of questions. This however…I was not prepared for this.

"He kissed you in front of everyone!" she continues. "In front of me," she whispers placing her hand over her heart emphasizing the "me".

"Lana, there is nothing going on between me and Clark," I assure her; defending my _very _platonic relationship with him for the second time today.

"He brought you your phone," she accuses; and I wonder how that could prove we're dating behind everyone's back.

"You told me you spent the night with Lois."

'_And THAT could be the way to prove we're dating behind everyone's backs…IF we were dating behind everyone's backs…which we're not.'_

"I did spend the night with Lois," I lie quickly. "But I left my phone behind; and she was going to drop it off to me, but Mrs. Kent asked her to keep an eye on Maddie while she's in Topeka"-

"Maddie?" she interrupts; and with good reason. How is she supposed to know about the little girl?

"Oh um, Mrs. Kent's chief of staff's foster child," I explain. "Clark took her to the farm after he found the foster mother dead. Lois told Clark about my phone and he offered to bring it to me. We're gonna meet up at the dorm later to do some research. That's all."

"Okay…but why did he kiss you?" She asks slowly.


	3. Chapter 3

_'It was my forehead! My forehead!'_

I roll my eyes for the umpteenth time; not that she could see it.

_'Okay. Focus Sullivan. Maddie Van Horn. Breaking glass...'_

I hack into a few files here; pull in a few favors there.

'_It's not like he put his tongue down my throat.'_

I get a hit on Maddie's mother and scan the information. Bingo! The girl can multitask. Turns out her mother died in a freak car accident when Maddie was three years old. The windshield mysteriously shattered and surprise, surprise; _Maddie_ was in the car.

I reach for my phone, and as a do I feel a familiar gust of wind. Out of reflex, I reach out and catch anything that might be airborne. Mainly paper. I'm getting good at this. I only miss a few.

"I see telepathy is your newest ability Clark," I say as I bend over to pick up the paper I missed. I don't have to look behind me. I know he's there. "I was just about to call you," I continue and walk over to sit in front of my laptop. "Look at this. It turns out Mad-"

"I wonder if you can read _my_ mind right now Chloe?" he leans in behind me placing his right hand on the desk, next to my own.

"If you're the telepathic one, you're supposed to tell me what _I'm_ thinking," I snort. He really needs to work on his sense of humor, or whatever that was supposed to be.

He leans in even closer, his lips just a breath away from my ear. I frown and slide my eyes downward and to the right.

"Why don't you just give it a try," he whispers.

I jump out of my seat and stand facing him. He doesn't move, just rests his right elbow on the desk and smirks at me.

"Oh no," I groan.

He cocks an eyebrow and that smirk turns into one of the sexiest grins on the face of the planet; maybe even the sexiest grin on his planet too_._

I take a step toward him and put on the most stern face I can muster.

"Give it to me Clark."

"As you wish."

I sigh in relief only to have him swallow it with a hungry kiss. His hands drop to my waist; and my hands follow immediately. I push at his hands and duck out of his way.

"Not _it_ Clark!" I pant angrily. "The red K," I hiss.

He genuinely looks confused, so I reiterate for him.

"Give me the red K."

He smiles slowly. "Now Sullivan, that doesn't sound like fun," he drawls.

"Now, Clark! We don't have time for this. Where'd you get it from anyway?" Not that it mattered _where_ he got it from, just as long as I get it _away_ from him.

"Little Maddie was showing me her rock collection."-

"And you picked it up?" I scold.

"No."

he gets up and starts walking toward me. It's a small room; and I know I can never outrun him, but I start taking steps backward anyway.

"It was in a pouch with a bunch of useless rocks. She dumped them in my hand and I just thought this one..." he holds out a rock about the size of a jellybean; "was the prettiest. Don't you think so?"

Stupidly, I've backed myself into a corner; so as he leans in toward me, I bang my head into the wall trying to avoid another kiss. He loses his smile, and I think I see a flash of concern. It's not much; but it lets me know that even as Kal, he still cares.

"Do you really want it Chloe?" he asks.

I hold my hand out; palm up.

"You sure Sullivan?"

I raise my eyebrows and push my hand out further.

"It's yours..."

I take my eyes of the rock and look into his.

"If you can take it from me," he finishes.

"But that's impossible!"

He gives me the hold on gesture, both hands out in front of his chest palms facing me, and sits in my chair.

"Let's play a game."

Judging by the way he's looking at me, I know I don't want to "play".

"I won't use my powers, but you can't use your hands."

I frown.

_'Then how am I supposed...to...'._

I watch in disbelief as my best friend puts the red K in his mouth. Surely he doesn't expect me to...

I seriously consider not doing it. I mean, he might not do anything _too_ bad.

_'Like the time he robbed the ATM machines; or the time he broke into Luthorcorp and almost killed his father; or the time-' _

_'Okay, okay'_ I surrender to myself. It's not like I thought I'd be able to talk myself out of it anyway. Clark's not cautious at all when he's under the influence of red K. I wouldn't want him to expose himself to the wrong people.

"Do you want to play Chloe?" He wiggles his eyebrows and sticks his tongue out, displaying the ruby rock.

_'Ugh, hell no!'_

But I say "fine!" instead and begin walking towards him;

'_When Clark comes back, I'm going to lecture him mercilessly about the kinky thoughts he suppresses.'_

I stop right in front of him.

_'Now what?'_

Clark reaches for me and instinctively I step back.

"Chloe," he smiles. "You're not gonna be able to get it from over there."

He's right; but I'm starting to believe that maybe I _can't_ do this.

Faster than a blink of an eye I'm straddling his lap.

"Clar-umph!" His mouth comes crashing down on mine. I try and separate my face from his, but he grabs the back of my head with one hand and holds me in place.

It was then that I felt it. The godforsaken little rock; and then it's gone; buried beneath his tongue. I realized he did it on purpose; let me feel the rock so that I could remember the "game". It worked. Having felt it makes me feel like maybe I _can_ do this. Until...

I tear my mouth from his and look down. He doesn't seem to care that I'm not playing anymore and latches his lips onto my neck. Both of his hands are on my hips; and he's grinding up against me. I can feel his…uh...excitement straining against our jeans and I pray to God it doesn't tear through them. I decide I really need to get that rock. Now!

I fist a good chunk of his hair and bring his face up toward mine. Thrusting my tongue into his mouth, I search for that stupid rock. Clark cups my rear and pulls me closer to his erection. I start to swat at his hands, but then I realize something. The more occupied Clark is with our lower anatomy, the less attention he pays to our mouths. Clark grinds against me again, and I grind back as an experimental distraction. It works. The rock is pressed against the roof of his mouth and all I have to do is slide it down the back of his front teeth and it's mine.

"Clark?..._Chloe?"_

_'Shit.' _

_'SHIT!'_

I don't need to turn around to know that Lana Lang is standing in the doorway; and that's bad, very bad; but not worse than the fact that Clark Kent just swallowed the red k.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you guys for the encouraging reviews. It makes me a little less nervous about this first fanfic of mine. Also I'd forgotten to put disclaimers on my last chapters so:

**Disclaimer:** No copyright intended. I don't own any of the characters used in this story. I did use some ideas and quotes from Season 5 episode 18's "fragile"

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

"Lana what are you doing here?"

'_She lives here Sullivan.'_

I scramble off of Clark's lap and tug on my shirt a little. It wasn't an easy feat; Clark seems both unfazed by Lana's appearance and reluctant to let me go.

Lana's eyebrows practically jump to her hairline.

"It's not what you think," I explain hurriedly taking a step towards her. She takes an even bigger step back.

"Clark?" I plea for help.

Lana's face displays about thirty different expressions; hope, anger, hurt, fear, before settling on "doubt" as she waits for Clark's response.

"I'll agree with anything you say baby; just as long as we can get back to doing whatever Lana thought we were doing but we weren't doing, because it's not what it _looks_ like."

'_Bad idea Sullivan'_

Lana swallows hard and nods her head as if her suspicions have been confirmed; and from her point of view, I can't say that I blame her.

"I'll just let you two get back to what I thought you were doing, but really weren't." She answers in a tight controlled voice. Then she looks at me, and I feel a tidal wave of guilt wash over me.

"Lana," I plea.

She turns on her heels and leaves. She doesn't want to hear anything I've got to say.

"Lana, wait!" I follow after her, or attempt to anyway; but Clark grabs my arm and pulls me around to face him.

"Let her go."

"She's my friend Clark," I say and snatch my arm away, surprised that I was actually able to.

"I'm your friend too," he pouts.

I ignore him and start walking in the direction I saw Lana take.

"If you leave, what'll I do?"

I stop. I'm sure he knew I would. I can tell by the way he's just leaning against the doorway.

I study him a little; trying to determine whether or not he was _intending_ for that to come out as a threat.

He just smiles.

I'd slap him, but I would only end up hurting myself.

"What do you _want_?" I ask exasperatedly.

He walks toward me slowly and I fight the urge to back away.

I cross my arms over my chest and stare up at him defiantly. He doesn't seem to care that I'm pissed off at him right now. I don't expect him to. Clark on red rocks is a jerk.

He hooks his fingers through my front belt loops and pulls me closer to him. I turn my head just as he bends forward and his kisses fall on the right side of my jaw. He doesn't seem to care, just as long as he's kissing some part of me I guess.

When I force a hand between my face and Clark's lips, he begins kissing my fingertips.

'_Jeez, maybe if Clark would stop resisting his sexual urges, Kal wouldn't be such a damn nympho.'_

"Clark, there's something I've been wanting to try with you but I was too scared to ask."

"Why's that?" he murmurs against my ear.

"Because I knew you would say it was too dangerous."

"Oh yeah? What is it.?"

Figures he'd want to do anything Clark would think is dangerous.

"Let's go to the windmill. I can jump off a couple of times and you can catch me."

It's stupid really, and I don't really want to jump off a windmill. I just need to think of some stimulating and legal things for Kal to do until I figure out a way to rid him of the red K.

"We did that last time," he complains.

"Last time?" I don't remember ever doing anything of the sort.

"Except you jumped from the barn loft."

"I don't remember that," I say.

"You and Pete didn't remember anything after the surgery," he shrugs.

"Pete?" I back up out of his reach. "Clark I haven't seen Pete in almost three years."

He doesn't say anything; just looks bored. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he'd rather be doing.

I try and think. The last time Pete and I had surgery…

_together_...

It doesn't take me a long time to remember the cave parasite incident. Clark's right. I don't remember what happened. I only remember talking to the smart ass Dr. What's-His-Face in the caves; and then I was waking up in the hospital. Clark told me I didn't miss much; and I always felt he wasn't telling me the whole truth; but I let it go, convincing myself I didn't want to know anyway.

"Clark?"

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," he snaps angrily.

I ignore him.

"What else did we do last time?" I continue.

He smiles at me and I quickly decide I don't want to know.

"I'll show you."

I wish he'd at least given me time to close my eyes as the sensation of super-speeding makes my stomach queasy. I don't even have time to get my bearings before we resume our earlier dorm position. (Me straddling his lap; his lips on my neck.)

I can hear people around me and note that we're in a public place.

"Clark, stop it!" I cry while getting off his lap and fixing my clothes. _Yet again_.

"You didn't ask me to stop last time," he smiles coyly reaching out for me again. I slap his hand away; too angry to acknowledge that I hurt my own hand by doing so.

"This isn't last time! You could've just told me we made out in..." I look around and gasp.

"This is the talon!...there's no way...we didn't," I stutter. I look at him; questioning him with my eyes. Kal doesn't lie? Does he?

He shrugs. "Ask Lana."

"Lana?"

Lana knows. My heart goes out to her as I wonder how much she actually saw.

"Chloe!" I jump at the sound of my name.

"What are you doing here?" I turn around and spot Lois making her way towards me. Walking beside my cousin is Maddie I presume. Cute kid; dangerous, but cute.

"Hi Maddie," I say faking a smile. She doesn't say anything; just looks around me at Clark.

I pull Lois off to the side.

"I thought we agreed to keep her as far away from glass as possible." I say glancing around at the many, many windows surrounding us.

"You know what? I tried that. We were going to have a nice picnic as far away from breakables as possible, but then she ran off to find the make-Lois-sneeze-machine. Long story short, I realized that all I have to do is keep her from getting upset and voila! Glass and people can safely coexist." She lifts her hands to display the still intact glass.

She'd spoken too soon. The sound of glass breaking causes both of our heads to snap towards the little girl as she runs past us and out of the door.

"Maddie!" Lois shouts and runs after her.

"Wait! Lois!" I call and attempt to go after my cousin; but I run right into Clark. Literally.

"Clark! What did you do to her?" I yell; but if he was going to answer me, he doesn't have the time.

I look up at the windows; which have begun vibrating. Within seconds they shatter. All of them.

When I open my eyes a few seconds later, I realize Clark's body is completely covering mine. In the back of my mind I understand that he's just protecting me, but considering he's been coming onto me so strongly for the last hour, I panic a little.

I push at his shoulder until he releases me. Then I quickly stand and look around me.

I'm devastated at the sight before me. Glass is everywhere; people are screaming; lots of them are cut; some aren't moving; and I pray none of them are dead.

"Lois," I whisper and I run out to find my cousin.

I don't have to look long. She's lying on the sidewalk, glass poking out of her shoulder blades. I drop down to my knees in front of her.

"Lois?"

Slowly, she opens her eyes at the sound of my voice.

"Chloe?" she answers weakly. "He took her." It takes me a while to realize she's talking about Maddie.

"Who took her?" I ask; but she doesn't answer me; she just closes her eyes.

"Lois?"

I want to shake her and make her wake up, but I'm too afraid to move her.

Suddenly, Clark appears before me and I'm so happy to see him I forget that he's not actually "Clark".

"Clark we have to get Lois to the hospital and find Maddie."

"Are you going to want me to take all of these people to the hospital too?" he asks sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Clark, please." I look up at my best friend while cradling Lois's head in my lap. "Please," I beg again when he doesn't respond.

Still nothing.

"I'll do anything you want," I say without thinking. "Just please."

"Anything?" Clark smirks before squatting down in front of us. He looks me straight in the eyes while holding my chin between his forefinger and thumb. When he leans in toward me, I stay still. If all it takes is a kiss to get my cousin to the hospital, he can have a dozen of those.

"I'm gonna hold you to that Sullivan," he whispers against my lips. Then he disappears; taking Lois with him.

It's a good thing he runs so fast. Any slower and he would have seen the single tear that made its way slowly down my face.

What have I done?


	5. Chapter 5

"I've screwed up a lot in my life, but this ranks up there."

The words might've come from Lois's mouth, but they are my thoughts exactly. What the hell was I thinking; telling Clark I'd do anything he wants. I _know_ what he wants.

"That little girl was on my watch."

I look up at Lois and feel a small stab of jealousy. What about me? Lois is supposed to be _my_ big cousin. Maddie will be fine. Clark's zipped off to save her; but who's gonna save me from _him_?

"Chloe? What's wrong?"

The expression on my face must have mirrored the anger I'd just been feeling inside. It makes me feel guilty immediately. It's not her fault Clark's from another planet. It's not her fault stupid little rocks alter his personality. It's not even her fault that she's not trying to help me.

How's she supposed to know I need help anyway? I'm here. I'm breathing. I'm fine…as far as she can tell anyway. Why _wouldn't_ her main concern be Maddie right now?

"Chloe?" she demands a little more forcefully before swinging her long legs over the side of the bed. There's no doubt in my mind she has every intention of getting out of bed and to me.

"Look Lois, don't beat yourself up about it," I interrupt hastily. "Maddie's going to be fine. They've put out an Amber a- lurgh!" I jump about a mile high as my pants begin to vibrate. It's my phone. Ever since I made that promise to Clark, I've been jumping at everything from elevator dings to flaps of butterfly wings.

It's a text message. It takes a couple of tries to open it. The first time I pressed the 'view later' feature. The second time I almost deleted it. Third times a charm.

"Meet me in the loft," it says.

I exhale slowly and put my phone back in my pocket. It's time.

"Lois I gotta go." I say heavily.

"Where are you going," she asks while staring at me suspiciously.

"Walk Shelby," I answer quickly; borrowing from Clark's lame excuses gallery.

As expected, she doesn't believe a word; just raises her eyebrows.

I try again.

"Clark is still looking for Maddie; and Mrs. Kent is still in Topeka. I'm sure Clark would've asked you to do it but..." I nod my head at her shoulder, letting the gesture finish my sentence for me.

She still doesn't buy it, but considering my state of mind right now, it's all I could come up with. Hell, I'm surprised I even did that well.

I walk over to my cousin and put on a smile. It's not entirely fake; it just isn't a happy one. Reaching out to her bare shoulder, I trace the outlines of her bandage, careful not to apply any pressure. I stare at my moving finger because I can't exactly look her in the eye.

"It's gonna be okay Lois," I say softly; and although she doesn't know I'm not referring to Maddie anymore, I can tell she senses it. It's in the way she's looking at me.

"Don't worry." I kiss her cheek and leave the room before she can stop me. Believe me; busted shoulder and a hospital gown or not, she could.

The ride to the Kent farm takes less than two minutes. Or at least it feels that way. I turn my car off and take a few seconds to breathe.

_'I can do this.'_

I get out of the car and look up at the loft windows. There isn't much light. Just a small glow in the corner. Probably candles. At the thought of candles and moods being set, my stomach turns into knots. I take another deep breath.

_'You can do this Chloe,'_ I cheer myself on.

I put one foot in front of the other, and repeat the process until I reach the door chanting _'I can do this'_ all the while.

I open the door;

'_how'd I get here so fast?'_

I begin climbing the stairs;

_'I don't remember them being so close to the door.' _

"Clark?" I whisper as I reach the top of the stairs.

I don't get an answer. Maybe he didn't hear me.

_'Clark has super hearing Sullivan,' _I point out to myself_. _

'_That's even better'_.

I quickly deduce that he's not here. I'm not going to make it hard to convince myself to leave; but just as I'm about to turn around and head towards my car, I feel my hair whip upward at the base of my neck. My heart drops. He's here.

I instantly still as he hugs me from behind effectively pinning my arms to my side. He leans forward and I swear he's sniffing my hair.

"You ready?"

_'No!'_

"Yes," I whisper instead.

He lowers his voice an octave or two and whispers, "close your eyes".

I shiver and do as I'm told.

I open my eyes and wobble a bit. I don't think I'll ever get used to super-speed.

"Dearly beloved,"

I snap my head towards the strange voice.

"We are gathered here today..."

I think we're at a wed-

"...that will bind Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan together in-"

"What!" I choke out.

"Chloe honey, you're not having second thoughts about this are you?" Clark drawls out in mock concern. He knows I'll do it. I _had_ promised him anything.

"No," I answer quietly.

Clark looks from me to the minister. "You may continue."

"Marriage is not to be entered into inadvisedly or lightly..."

I look down on my feet. They're not there. I notice for the first time that I'm in a wedding dress. I look up at Clark. He's wearing a traditional black tuxedo with a _red_ tie? I roll my eyes and suppress a smile.

"If any of you can show just cause... "

Clark looks over to his right, I my left. There are people here. About fifteen or twenty; I don't recognize any of them. I'm suddenly nervous. Really nervous. This is just like a real wedding; nothing at all like his Vegas wedding to Alicia.

"...speak now or forever hold your peace."

Come to think of it; this is Clark's second time getting married while infected with red K. He should get an M.U.I. (marrying under the influence). I smile at my little inside joke and decide to mention it to Clark when he comes back.

When I look over at him, he's grinning from ear to ear. I realize I'm still smiling and stop immediately. I don't need him thinking I'm actually happy about this.

"I do," he says confidently.

"And do you Chloe Sullivan take this man..."

_'We're on this part already?'_

"...forsaking all others..."

I look up at Clark. He's still smiling, but he's not exactly looking at my face. I blush. I recognize that stare. He usually does it to make sure I haven't broken anything or that I'm bruise free.

"...as long as you both shall live."

I look at the minister. He's oblivious to my discomfort and patiently awaiting my answer.

"I do," I say shakily.

I look back at Clark. He runs his tongue over his bottom lip and winks at me. Then his eyes travel away from my face and towards lower parts of my body. His x-ray vision has always been my least favorite.

"Stop looking at me," I whisper so low I'm not even sure Clark can hear me. He grins even wider, but looks up at my face.

"May I have the rings please?"

_'Rings? We didn't bring any-' _I watch dumbfounded as Clark pulls two small boxes out of his pocket. _'When did he get those?...'_

"Repeat after me," the minister says a little too loudly.

This is the second time he's said that; and I realize he's talking to me.

I parrot my vows and stick the ring on Clark's finger.

Clark takes my hand in his and repeats the process. Somehow his vows seem to take longer as he slowly rubs my ring finger with the pad of his thumb.

"I give you this ring..."

I look down at my finger and gasp. Not because the ring is beautiful, or because of the size of the diamond, or because of the amount of karats the ring has; but because I'm sure it's stolen. It's just what I need. My first wedding and the groom is high, the ring is stolen, and the witnesses are complete strangers.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

_'Oh no.' _

"You may kiss your bride."

I swallow nervously as Clark steps toward me. When he leans in, I close my eyes and wait...nothing happens. I open my right eye and peek out at him. He's so close I can feel his breath on my face.

'_So why isn't he...'_

He raises an eyebrow, challenging me. He wants _me_ to kiss him. I give him an exasperated sigh and press my lips to his. Must he always be so difficult?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to present Mr. and Mrs. Kent."

I jerk my head up looking for her. Fear grips my heart; we're in so much trouble.

I frown. I don't see his mom _anywhere. _Then it dawns on me, and dread settles into the pit of my stomach; _I'm_ Mrs. Kent.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay so, this and the next chapter are the ones I'm most nervous about. If they're bad, I'm sorry. Like it says in my profile, I've still got my v-card. There's a lot I don't know. Comments and reviews are always welcome. Tips and suggestions are highly valued.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

I think I'm gonna throw up. I've lost count of how many times Clark has super sped me around today. I don't release my hold on his neck, even after he lays me down on the bed. I assume it's a bed; I have yet to open my eyes.

"I don't feel good," I whisper honestly.

"Where does it hurt?"

He sounds so concerned, I open my eyes.

"_Clark?_"

"Nope," he replies removing my hands from his neck and pinning them above my head. He leans over me and starts grinning again.

_'Does he ever stop?'_

"Where does it hurt?" he repeats.

I don't like the way he's looking at me.

He slowly runs one hand down the side of my body. I squirm and try to push it away, but his other hand has got a firm grip on my wrists. With his fingertip, he traces three figure eights along my hip; then slowly makes his way towards my center.

"No!" I panic.

"No?" he mocks me. "Where then?"

I don't like this game at all.

"Where does it hurt Chloe?"

I'd much rather play "the rock game" again.

He brushes his fingertips across my upper thigh.

_'I'm not wearing any underwear!'_ I realize and jump at his touch.

"My neck," I say thinking of one of the least intimate parts of my body.

_'Why the hell aren't I wearing any underwear?'_

"That's very boring Mrs. Kent."

"Don't call me that!" I snap automatically; still in freaked-out mode due to my missing underwear.

"It's your name," he says glaring at me.

I've made him angry.

_'So what!'_ I decide. I'm not too thrilled right now either.

I exhale loudly and look away.

"Your name is Chloe Kent," he grinds out before grabbing my chin and forcing me to face him.

_'Until Clark gets back.' _I stare up at him stubbornly.

He straddles me, careful not to rest all of his body weight on me. Probably more out of habit than trying to make sure he doesn't hurt me.

"Say it," he commands.

_'And when he _does_ come back, I'm going to kick his ass.'_

"My name is Chloe Kent," I relent.

He smiles; easily pleased by my apparent submission.

I stare up at the ceiling as he begins kissing my neck. Like most ceilings it's a boring one and my mind begins to wander.

"Clark?"

"hmm."

I wince as he nips my neck a little too hard. There'll be bruises tomorrow for sure.

"What about Maddie?"

"Too young for me. Told her to find a guy her age."

I roll my eyes. It's not exactly what I was asking, but now I know what he said to upset her back at the Talon.

"Where is she?" I try again.

"Grandmother."

"She has a grandmother?" I muse.

"Done," he announces satisfactorily before lifting his head from my neck and resting his chin against my own.

_'That's it?' _

I look down at his face hopefully.

"Where else does it hurt?"

_'Damn.'_

"Nowhere."

"So you feel better now?"

_'Why does that sound like a trick question?'_

"Uh…yes?"

"Good."

Abruptly he rolls off of me and onto his back. Before I can get my hopes up again, he starts moaning as if he's in pain.

I sit up and look over at him; hoping his body is trying to rid him of the kryptonite; but then he stops and looks up at me expectantly.

_'What the…'_

"Aren't you going to ask _me_ where it hurts?"

_'He can't be serious'_.

He is.

It's going to be a long night.

"Where does it hurt Clark," I say in a monotone.

"You don't sound like you really care," he accuses.

_'I don't.'_

I sigh and get out of the bed. Picking up the hem of my dress, I make my way over to Clark's side. It would have been quicker for me to just climb over him, but hell is still a very hot place. I lean in slightly and press my palm against his forehead as if I were checking his temperature.

"Where does it hurt Clark?"

He doesn't answer. He's a little too preoccupied with my chest.

I exhale out of frustration. Didn't Mrs. Kent ever teach him not to play with his food? I'm not food; but having endured so much teasing and taunting, I imagine we would be sharing the same thought right about now. _'I just wish he would hurry up and eat me'_...uh...metaphorically speaking, that is.

With my palm still resting on his forehead, I lean in closer so that only my face is in his line of vision. He blinks a couple of times and I impatiently repeat the question.

"Clark, where does it hurt?"

He looks into my eyes and a mischievous smile appears out of thin air.

"Guess."

I gasp and step back. I don't need to guess. I know _exactly_ where it "hurts". He's completely naked. Just lying there; legs outstretched; hands behind his head; and boldly displaying his current state of arousal.

"Your neck too huh?" I say nervously, refusing to acknowledge any part of his body other than his face.

He chuckles; and if I weren't terrified right now, I'd admit to myself just how sexy it sounded.

"Guess again."

I look up at him. _Up at him? _I frown.

_'When did he…'_

I look down.

I ...we're naked...and touching. Our naked bodies are touching...each other...without clothes.

I mean, I knew we were going to get to that eventually; but there's a process. Like, taking off the clothes... and knowing the clothes are coming off ...and...and... I don't know, _seeing_ the clothes come off.

"Guess again," he repeats.

It's then that I notice his "hurt" part is pressed against my stomach. Absentmindedly I try and move it. As soon as my fingers make contact with him, Clark grabs my hand, holding it in place.

"Exactly," he moans in pleasure.

_'Shit! What the hell was I thinking, grabbing Clark's penis?'_

He guides my hand up, then down the length of him. I try and snatch my hand back.

_'There's no way I'm jerking him off''_.

He doesn't release me and I glare up at him angrily. He leans forward; his chest making contact with mine.

"Do you know how incredibly sexy you are when you're angry?" he growls in my ear.

If I could've had my way, that wouldn't have affected me at all; but as I am only human after all...I try and bite back a whimper, but it's dead set on freedom and somehow escapes through my closed lips. In my defense, it wasn't what he said that had caused said reaction. With his lips pressed against my ear, I could _feel_ the vibration of his baritone throughout my whole body; and a strong wave of desire passed through me, settling into lower parts of my anatomy.

He chuckles, and of its own accord, my body trembles violently.

He abruptly releases my hand and I snatch it back quickly, too relieved to realize his hand is now under me. As he lifts me up a little, his erection presses against me. It wasn't until then that I become conscious of his intention. Fear envelopes me as I truly am not ready.

"Clark, no! Stop!"

I push at his shoulders knowing that I'm too weak to stop him; but I don't have to. My body's rejected him. He won't fit. Out of fear that he would try and make himself fit, I flinch and push at his shoulders some more.

"Don't!" I cry.

He doesn't move and I look up at him fearfully. Upon his face, is a very familiar expression to me. Pain. Hurt. Without a doubt in my mind, it's just Kal needing relief; but I've seen that look on Clark so many times before. If, I mentally shake my head, _when_ Clark comes back, he's going to remember everything. He's going to remember how he treated Maddie; and that's going to make him feel guilty. He'll remember how he ignored Lana; and that's going to send him into a long bout of depression. And he's going to remember _this_, me being afraid of him, flinching, crying "no!" and "stop!". And to be honest, I don't know what that'll do to him; but I do know that I don't want to find out. I lean up on my elbows.

"Just go slow," I say as I place my hand behind his neck, pulling him towards me.

"Slow?" he balks.

He doesn't seem to like that idea. I smile and trace his bottom lip with my thumb. When I kiss him he shuts his eyes and pushes me onto my back. Impatiently, he pushes his tongue against my mouth seeking entrance until I pull away.

"No," I command.

He opens his eyes and I giggle. The look in his eyes is similar to that of a begging puppy. He frowns and I halfway expect him to whine, but Kal doesn't do that sort of thing.

"Slow," I say as I grab his hand and steer it slowly down my body. He raises an eyebrow when I stop just above my entrance. I trust he'll know what to do. Leaving his hand there, I place both my hands on his cheeks and pull his face closer to mine.

I feel his hand move lower and when he touches me, I press my mouth to his. He opens his mouth slightly and I suck on his bottom lip the way I'd learned he likes years ago.


	7. Chapter 7

I can't believe I'd forgotten until now.

_'Is it normal to repress good memories?' _

It happened when I was thirteen. I caught the flu and had to miss a couple days of school. It was a Friday when Clark came over. I remember because I wasn't really sick anymore; I just didn't think it made sense to return a day before the weekend.

I heard a knock on the door, but ignored it.

_'Sick people don't answer doors do they?'_

"Chloe!"

I jumped as Clark bursts into my bedroom and quickly covered my bare thighs. Even then, I didn't like sleeping in pants.

"No one...you didn't answer the door. I thought-"

"I'm sick Clark! Do you really expect me to get out of bed to answer the door? How'd you get in here anyway?" I didn't mean to yell at him; but I was slightly embarrassed. He'd just seen me in my underwear after all.

"I..uh...the door was unlocked. Where're your parents?" He asked; and I was smart enough to know he was changing the subject.

"Dad's at work," I shrugged.

"And your mom?"

"I don't know," I said and waited for it. When you tell people you don't know where your mother is, they tend to ask a bunch of questions like; "where is she?" and "how long has she been gone?"

"I don't know where my mother is either," He said instead. I looked up at him.

"Or my father. I'm adopted," he finished with a small smile. I smiled back.

"My mother left me," I offered. It was the first timed I'd volunteered the information to anyone. "So, what brings you by?" I asked. It was my turn to change the subject.

"Oh, right. I brought you your homework," he said while digging through his book bag and sitting down next to me. I blushed. It was the first time a guy had ever been in my bed _and_ I didn't have any pants on.

"Uh..Chloe?"

"What!" I jumped; but he wasn't even looking at me.

"What are you watching?"

I looked over at my television and back at Clark. He was actually fidgeting and I had to fight back a laugh.

Earlier I'd popped in one of my favorite movies, Cruel Intentions, and it just so happened to be on Sarah and Selma's infamous kissing scene.

"Why are they?...are they?.."

"Relax Clark. They're just practicing," I said; immediately putting him out of his misery.

"Practicing?"

I rolled my eyes and rewound the movie a bit.

"I don't understand," he said after a while.

"You want me to rewind it again?" I frowned at him. Surely he couldn't be that dense.

"No. I just...If girls practice with other girls, then how do I...uh guys learn?"

I shrugged. "I guess they learn when they kiss a girl."

"That's not fair," he said thoughtfully

"You could always practice with Pete," I smiled sweetly at him.

The expression on his face was priceless, and I burst into a fit of laughter.

"I was just joking," I said in between breaths. "You can practice with me, if you want."

"You?"

I sobered up quickly.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked defensively.

"No-nothing. I...uh.."

I rolled my eyes at his nervous stuttering. He was never gonna have the courage to kiss a girl.

"Look," I said moving to sit in front of him. Then I placed both hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "It's not a big deal if we're just _practicing_."

He gulped. "You're uh...you're not"

"I'm not what?" I asked exasperatedly.

He cleared his throat. "You're not wearing any pants."

I looked down. "Right. I don't like sleeping in pants," I explained hurriedly. "Close your eyes."

He did as I asked.

I walked backwards to my dresser so I could catch him if he decided to take a peek. He didn't. I remember thinking he was either gay or an alien, and leaning more towards the latter.

I put on my favorite nighty shorts and sat back in front of him.

"You can open your eyes now," I announced; but he didn't. He was probably giving me more time to get dressed. I kissed him then; just a quick peck on the lips. His eyes sprang open in surprise.

"See, that wasn't so scary," I crooned at him.

"No. Not scary."

I leaned in and kissed him again. It was still close-mouthed, but much longer than the first.

"What about that one?" I asked pulling back.

"Not scary." His eyes were still closed and I smiled at him.

"OK. Your turn," I announced. He opened his eyes and furrowed his brows in confusion. "You don't expect the girl to always make the first move do you?" I teased.

"No."

But he didn't move. I sighed and climbed into his lap; surprising both him and myself. I wasn't usually so forward; but Clark was just so...I just knew he wouldn't take advantage of me. I trusted him.

He shifted uncomfortably and I almost fell out of the bed. Almost. He caught me with one hand and righted me. I arched an eyebrow; impressed.

"Well?" I inquired. He frowned. "It's still your turn," I explained

"Oh, right." He shifted nervously again. Out of reflex, I held onto his arm so that I didn't almost fall again.

Hesitantly, he put his other hand on my waist and haphazardly laid one on me. I winced and bit down on my bottom lip. That really hurt.

"Chloe! I'm so sorry. Are you OK."

"I'm fine."

"I should go," he said; and stood up to do just that, only I wouldn't let go. He really needed my help; and I made it my personal mission to make sure the first girl he kissed had a good experience.

We were in my doorway before he noticed I was still attached to him. I was slipping; so I wrapped my legs around him more securely and hoisted myself up a little. Instinctively, he placed his hands under my rear to help me.

"I'm _fine_ Clark. Look," I held my lip between my thumb and index finger. "It's not even bleeding."

He didn't look reassured.

"You know what you have to do now right?" I smiled suddenly as a brilliant idea came to me.

He just looked at me warily.

"You have to kiss it and make it better," I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Chloe, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"You think too much Kent. All you have to do is this."

I placed a feather light kiss on his bottom lip.

"See? No biggy." I told him. "Now you try," I demanded; but he didn't move.

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against his. Maybe there was just no hope for him after all.

I sighed and opened my mouth to tell him to just put me down; but caught his bottom lip instead. Simultaneously, our eyes sprang open in shock. He tried to pull back, but I sank my teeth into his lip and refused to let go. I didn't want another apology; I wanted to teach him how to kiss a girl. I ran my tongue across his lip and smiled when he gave my bottom a squeeze. We were making progress at last.

To this day, I'm not sure what made me do it; but I began sucking on his lip. That was when he dropped me and ran out of the room.

I got up, wiped my bottom, checked the front of my shorts, and started my homework. I wasn't angry or offended. I was pressed close enough to him to know why he suddenly had to leave. I just didn't know how he'd managed to rip through his jeans.

I frown. Maybe it wasn't such a good memory after all. Not even a week later, Clark told me how much he liked Lana; and that was when I realized how much I liked him.

_'Lana'_ I sigh. _'What am I going to tell her?'_

"What about her?"

I look up at Clark and frown.

_'Had I said that out loud?'_

I slowly realize his hands are placed on either side of my head. But then...I look down.

"When did we start...when did you?..." I shrug and decide it doesn't really matter.

He slows down and looks at me piercingly.

"When did I what, Chloe?" He asks slowly, and I get the feeling he already knows what I was asking.

"Nothing. Just forget it"

He stills completely; and I know he doesn't want to 'just forget it'.

"I just didn't realize we were..." I exhale. He narrows his eyes. I furrow my brows and try again. "I wasn't paying attention when you..."

I stare up at him confused. He's angry again. Why would he be angry? Kal is the most self-absorbed guy ever. Why would he care if I didn't notice when we...realization dawns on me and I began laughing; _really_ laughing for the very first time since Lana and Clark's break up.

I'd insulted him. Inadvertently, I'd implied that he wasn't doing a good enough job; bruising his ego.

He scowls down at me, and I laugh even harder.

"I'm sorry Clark," I choke out "Keep going."

"Don't. Call. Me. That," he growls.

"It's your name," I throw his earlier words back at him and wipe the tears that have accumulated in the corner of my eyes.

His nose flares and he grabs me by the arm. He leans in close to me, his nose almost touching mine and glares at me. I should be afraid of him. He's right; he's not Clark right now; but I honestly believe he won't ever hurt me. Not as Clark; and not as Kal.

Suddenly he smiles; and I stop laughing.

_'This isn't good.'_

He kisses me; a very slow lingering kiss.

I open my eyes; (_when did I close them?') _expecting him to pull back. He doesn't. Instead he teases my lips apart with his tongue. His hand moves down my arm and he laces my fingers with his. _'_

_'I'm in so much trouble right now'._

He brings my hand up to his face. Leaving it there, he sucks on my bottom lip and I see what the big deal is. I moan and move my hand; burying it into his hair and deepen the kiss.

Then I pull back almost immediately, ashamed of myself. Lana's my friend_._

"Chloe?" he questions. I smile at him, letting him know I'm OK. Encouraged, he leans in and kisses me again. I let him, but I don't kiss him back. This way I don't hurt Clark, and I stay as loyal to Lana as possible.

He pulls back because of my lack of response and stares down at me. I chew on my lower lip nervously, then I have to stop when I notice he's staring at my innocent attempt to calm myself down. I don't want to be a tease.

He leans down and kisses me again, and again; still no response.

He exhales slowly and I think he's given up.

He hasn't. He slowly kisses my chin, my throat; I close my eyes.

_'This is gonna be harder than I thought'. _

He slides down to my collar bone, then through the valley between my breasts.

When he kisses my stomach, I snap my legs shut.

I can feel him smile against my skin and I inwardly groan.

_'Not good.'_

He slowly makes his way up my body and presses his lips to my ear.

"Chloe baby,"

I shake my head. _'don't ask me, don't ask me.'_ I silently plead over and over again.

He kisses my ear and places a hand on my stomach. "Open your legs."

"Nuh-uh," I refuse, still shaking my head.

"No?" He chuckles and shifts so that he's looking me in the eyes. "You _promised,_" he smiles down at me.

I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Clark we have to get Lois to the hospital and find Maddie," he mimics my earlier words back to me. I close my eyes. I know where this is going."I'll do anything you want. Just please," he finishes.

"Now," continues after his forefinger traces a path from my navel to my chin; "Lois is in the hospital". He traces my lower lip with his fingertip. "Maddie is safe and sound with her grandmother," he leans in and kisses me softly. "And what I _want_, is for you to open your legs."

I stare up at the ceiling as he makes his way down my body again. He stops at my stomach, and waits for me. I take a deep breath.

'_ I can do this'._

I part my legs slightly. He looks up at me and grins.

"Baby," he kisses the top of my thigh. "My head won't fit in there like that. You're gonna have to open up more."

I balk at his bluntness. He grins even wider.

"You know Chloe, we _are_ married. You shouldn't be so shy."

I glower at him and open my legs just a little more. He shakes his head and nips my thigh with his teeth.

"More than that."

Tired of this; I grab a pillow, place it over my face, open my legs the way I know he wants me to, and wait. He snatches the pillow from me and throws it on the floor; much like Lois had done just this morning. I reach for another; but he pushes them all out of the bed. I glare at him. He just smiles and disappears between my legs. I cover my face with my hands and hear him exhale out of frustration. I blink rapidly as my eyes are exposed to light and notice my hands are now pinned above my head. Clark is above me, fixing me with the most fierce gaze. Still staring at me, he resumes his position between my legs. I inhale, and wait until he kisses me before covering my face with my hands again.

"Clark!" I yell up at him. He's above me again; but this time he's tied my hands to the headboard. He smiles down at me; evidently satisfied with his quick solution and handiwork.

"Untie me!" I try and loosen my hands myself, but- I look up.

'_handcuffs?'_

I mentally apologize to the police officer he stole them from.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" he smirks.

I fight the urge to close my legs as it will lead me nowhere, and take a deep breath. I jump as a small gust of cold; and I mean_ really_ cold air makes contact with the most sensitive part of my body.

"Careful Clark!" I shriek.

_'When'd he develop that abili-' _

"Oh my god," I whimper when he puts his mouth on me, warming me instantly. Just as I'm getting used to the sensation, he blows on me again. I flinch a little. This is making me nervous.

"Can't you just use ice like regular people?" I scold down at him. I expect him to smirk at me and make an arrogant remark about him not being a _regular_ person. He doesn't. He doesn't even smile; just keeps his eyes locked with mine and places open-mouthed kisses on me. My eyes start to glaze over; and my physical needs begin to outweigh my guilt.

"Untie me," I whisper.

He cocks his head to the side and watches me for a few seconds. I know when he figures I've finally given in. The corners of his mouth twitch as he suppresses a smile of triumph. But I don't care. I've got from tomorrow morning on to feel ashamed and disgusted with myself.

He stands up; and at the sight of his erect manhood my traitor hips involuntary jerk upward; letting him know exactly what I want. He gets the hint. Within seconds his body is covering mine. I gasp and wrap my legs around his waist when he buries himself inside of me. Forgetting my hands are tied, I try and reach for him; but I can't.

"Clark, untie me please."

He stills and reaches for my wrists.

"I'm not Clark," he whispers against my ear.

I wait for him to free me, but he doesn't. It's as if he's waiting for...

"Please untie me..._Kal_" I whisper; deciding to give him what he wants, so he can give me what I need.

When he frees me, I hold onto him as tight as I can; apologizing to Lana a thousand times.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

Whew! Glad that's over. It was really _really_ hard. I haven't read not one fanfic since I started this chapter. I was afraid I might accidentally use ideas I've read; and I wanted to be as original as possible. So if any of it is similar to another story, it's purely coincidental.


	8. Chapter 8

_'I can't breathe.'_

This semi-conscious thought is the only reason I open my eyes. I regret it immediately. There is sunlight streaming in through the window; reminding me of just how much sleep I didn't get last night.

Shutting my eyes against the offensive rays, I try and turn over.

I can't.

I can't move at all.

Frowning, I take a moment to find the source of my paralysis. It's not hard. And it makes me groan.

_'Again? This makes...'_

I think back, trying to remember how many to times Kal and I had sex last night. There was the first time; and the time we played "doctor" _again_; plus that time in the bathtub; then there was the time we fell out of the bed; followed by him floating and us experimenting in the air; and the time when we took a shower…

I stop counting. Even if I could remember 'em all; there are still those many times (much like right now) that I woke up to find him between my legs.

"Kal, I can't breathe."

He doesn't answer. It's then that I notice that even though he's on top of me, he's not doing anything. There's just an even rise and fall of his chest.

He's _asleep_.

_'Jerk.' _

"Kal."

I make an attempt to push at his shoulders, but fail. My arms are tightly pinned to my sides.

I try squirming a little, but there's no room for me to move whatsoever. I let out an angry sigh. I'm exhausted, sleep deprived, sore, and I have to use the bathroom; really bad.

I take a deep breath.

"Kal!" I yell.

_'Not the smartest thing to do when you've only got a limited air supply Sullivan.'_

I try and get as much air back into my lungs as possible; but Kal's weight pressed against my chest is making it impossible for my lungs to expand.

"Clark," I sob as I feel myself begin to lose consciousness.

When his eyelashes start moving against my cheek, hope surges throughout my whole body.

"Clark, wake up please." I breathe.

"Chloe?"

He lifts his head a little and looks down at me. I can tell he's trying to focus his eyes and possibly his thoughts as well but...

"Clark, I can't breathe," I whisper.

"Chloe!" He scrambles clumsily out of the bed and leans over me. "Are you okay!"

"_Clark?_" I wrinkle my eyebrows, not daring to hope-

He grabs both of my arms and looks me strait in the eyes "Did I hurt you?"

"Clark!"

I launch myself at my best friend causing him to lose his balance. He embraces me, and lands on his back, cushioning our fall.

"You're back!" I grin down at him; then said grin drops when he stiffens and frowns up me.

"Clark?"

Without a word he stands up abruptly and walks over to the bed, leaving me on the floor. I just stare after him.

'_What's his problem?'_

When he turns around and starts walking toward me, I notice he has the bed sheet in his hand. Wordlessly he wraps it around my naked body.

_'Oh, right.'_

I should get cleaned up...and stuff. I stand up to head towards the bathroom, only to let out a small involuntary whimper and sit back down. Evidently, I'm a little more sore than I thought I was.

"Chloe?" Clark forces my attention onto him by grabbing a hold of my face with both of his hands. "Are you hurt?"

"No Clark; I'm fine. I just need … uh...my clothes," I make up while tugging on his wrists until he lets my face go.

"I don't have anything to wear. I don't know where Kal put my clothes and he ripped the wedding dress so-"

"I know what happened last night Chloe. I was there. I _am_ Kal!"

"No way," I wave my hand dismissively. "Kal's a jerk. So do you mind superspeeding to my dorm and getting me a change of clothes?" I ask hurriedly, giving him no room to argue with me. "Oh, and a decaf caramel java chip white chocolate mocha, with three shots." I add sweetly to give myself time to get into the bathroom before he gets back.

He doesn't move.

"Please."

He stares at me just a little longer before nodding his head and zooming away. I don't waste any time. On all fours, I slowly make my way towards the bathroom. I'm almost there when...

"Chloe?"

_'Damn it!' _

"How'd you get here so fast?" I whine.

I mean, I know _how_ he got here so fast; but with my coffee order, he should have been gone at least five minutes. There's no way I've been crawling around for five minutes.

"What are you doing?" he asks suspiciously while wrapping the sheet around me again.

I had left it behind, because it was slowing me down.

"Chloe?"

"I was looking for my phone," I answer.

'_God, I'm good.'_

"Your phone?" he asks skeptically.

"Well, I have to let Lois know I'm okay. I think I might've freaked her out a little last night. You should call your mom. I'm sure she's worried about you," I finish in one breath.

"I spoke to her at the farm."

I frown. "When did you-?"

"Just now," he interrupts. My heart skips a beat.

"What did you tell her? You didn't tell her we...?" I couldn't finish; he didn't need me to anyway.

"No, I told her I was on red k and you kept an eye out for me."

I frown. I doubt Mrs. Kent believed that.

Clark holds his hand out to me and I blink. He's holding my phone. He must've zipped off to get it while I was thinking of ways to fix the lame excuse he'd fed to his mother.

Not knowing what else to do, I reach for it.

"You have twenty two unheard messages," it says and I frown at the automated voice.

_'Twenty two?'_

"Message one.'Hey Chloe it's me. Lois. Call me back when you get a chance'."

I sigh and skip down to the next message, pretty sure of who it is already.

"Chloe, it's me again. Just wondering where you are. Call me back."

I glance up at Clark and wish he would at least give me a little privacy. He's on the other side of the room, but I know he can hear every word of Lois's messages.

"Chloe!" I jump as the next message startles me out of my train of thought. "If you don't call me within the next hour or so I'm going to come looking for you and Clark myself..."

I frown. How does she know about Clark?

_'Duh Sullivan'_ She probably called Clark up to ask where I was. It was only natural for her to assume we were together when he didn't answer his phone either.

"...and when you do get home, I'm going to kick both of your asses."

I smile and hang up the phone. I have a pretty good idea of how the rest of the messages go.

I can feel Clark staring at me as I dial Lois's number. I'd much rather face her right now than him.

"Chloe! Where the hell are you? "

"Lois-"

"I left a million messages. Why didn't you call me back?"

"I-"

"I've been worried sick. You leave my hospital room as if you're walking to your own funeral; and then..."

I sigh. She's gonna be at it for a while, so I try and settle into a more comfortable position. But then I end up taking in a sharp breath and wincing as I've moved a little too fast.

Clark walks over and stands directly in front of me; squashing any hope I might've had about him not noticing what just happened.

"Chloe are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, I just- hey!"

"Lois, Chloe is going to have to call you back," Clark says after taking my phone from me. I can hear Lois protesting on the other line, but Clark just says, "We'll explain everything when we get back," before hanging up.

When he kneels down in front of me, I have to fight the urge to look away. It's something I always do when I'm feeling guilty; and unfortunately for me Clark knows it.

"Chloe?" His eyebrows are drawn together and his voice is paternally stern. I hate it when he talks to me this way.

"Okay, maybe I don't feel so good." I give in. He wasn't going to accept anything less than the truth anyway.

He does a quick x-ray and frowns; obviously not finding any visible signs of injuries.

"Where does it hurt?"

I look away. How am I supposed to tell him _that?_

Gently, he places a hand on my shoulder.

"Chloe I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

I look up into his face and frown.

_'Hurt me?'_

"You can trust me now. Where does it hurt?"

I can trust him _now_? When could I not-

'_Oh, right_'

Just last night Kal had asked me "where I hurt"; only he had less moral reasons for asking. Clark must've mistaken my hesitation for fear.

"I should get you to a hospital," he sighs when I don't answer.

"What? No; Clark, I don't need to go to the hospital, okay. I'm just a little sore."

Huh. That was easier to say than I thought it would be.

He grabs the arm Kal grabbed out of anger last night, and examines it closely.

_He's checking for bruises_!

I roll my eyes and snatch my arm from him.

"Nothing is wrong my arm Clark."

He frowns. "Where...?" he winces and places a finger on my neck.

I roll my eyes again.

_'Clark is definitely back.'_

There _are_ bruises there, I'm sure of it; but when a girl says she's sore, she's not usually talking about her neck.

"Clark there's nothing wrong with my neck either," I slap his hand away.

"Then where?" he asks with wrinkled eyebrows.

"Just forget about it."

"Chloe!"

"Clark!"

I let out a startled gasp when he places an arm on my back and the other beneath my knees.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the hospital."

"Clark, put me down! Now."

I'm shocked when he obliges by placing me gently on the bed.

I narrow my eyes in suspicion; and rightfully so.

He walks toward me with a change of clothes in his hands; and I hold the sheet in place against my chest. I don't believe Clark has the guts to try and dress me, but I don't need it falling down either.

"I can do this is in superspeed if it will make you feel better."

My jaw drops. He's actually gonna try and dress me.

"I'm not going to the hospital Clark."

"Yes you are"-

"Clark, there's nothing they can do for me."

When he frowns, I take a deep breath and exhale loudly.

"Down there." I nod my head towards my lap "That's what...where I'm sore," I finish, hoping he gets it because I don't want elaborate.

He looks down at my lap and back at my face, confused. Then his eyes widen and an expression of self-loathing appears on his face.

"Clark it's okay," I say quickly. "It happens to normal people too; all the time in fact."

"Chloe I hurt you," He rebuttals. I can see that he's absolutely devastated and I want to say something to make him feel better but...

"Clark I have to use the bathroom."

What? I do.

"Could you...uh…"

He lifts me gently, obviously afraid of hurting me again.

I raise my eyebrows when he sets me down on the toilet, but doesn't leave. He either doesn't get the hint, or ignores it. I suspect the latter.

_'What do I do now? I can't pee in front of Clark.'_

I look down at my lap and an idea comes to me.

"Clark? Where did Kal get this ring from?"

He doesn't answer me. Just stares at the ring.

I take it off.

"You should give this back to whoever he took it from; along with anything else he might have _borrowed_."

Clark holds his hand out to me, never once taking his eyes off the ring.

"Oh, and see what the divorce laws are here in...Where are we?"

"Canada," he answers automatically.

"Canada?" I smile up at him. He doesn't smile back. Instead he takes my hand in his and kneels down in front of me.

_'What the...?'_

"I'll take _this_ ring back, but I'll get you a new one," he says gravely

"What? A new one? Why?"-

"I don't want a divorce."

_'He can't be serious'_

"Clark, I do. I _want_ a divorce."

He scowls at me. "We're not getting a divorce!" he yells and then he's gone.


	9. Chapter 9

I've decided to put the whole marriage dilemma aside for now and concentrate on more pressing issues; like what to tell Lana and Lois when we get home.

I can't come up with a damn thing.

I pull my pants up for the umpteenth time. Well, technically they're a pair of Clark's sweatpants; not mine. And though I am grateful he didn't bring me a pair of jeans, I'd be a little less irritated with him if he'd brought me a pair of underwear too.

_'What is it with him and making me go commando anyway?' _

With a sigh, I lay down on the bed and close my eyes. I keep them closed even when I hear the door open and close. I really don't feel like dealing with Clark right now; but when I hear water running in the bathroom, I change my mind. A nice hot bath sounds really good right now.

I tip toe to the bathroom and stop in the doorway. He's sitting on the edge of the tub, just staring at the wall.

"Taking a bubble bath Clark?" I yell over the running water.

He jumps a little and turns around quickly. I give him a self-satisfied smile. It's good to know that even with super-hearing I'm able to sneak up on him from time to time.

"I thought you were asleep," he accuses.

"I'm not," I toss back lightly and smirk over at him. "But your secret's safe with me."

"How'd you..?"

"I walked," I say giving him my best "duh" expression.

"But, I thought-"

"Like I said before Clark, I'm fine," I answer before taking a few steps toward him and nodding my head in the direction of the water. "That for me?"

He runs a hand through his hair before answering.

"Yeah, Oliver said-"

"Wait," I hold my hand up, cutting him off. "Oliver? You told Oliver!"

He stands up defensively, towering over me "Chloe I-"

"Clark! How could you do this to me?" I yell up at him.

"Chloe I was trying to help you," he explains. And I know he was, but I don't care.

"What exactly did you say?" I demand.

"Just relax," he sighs. "I didn't tell him who it was for." Then he bends over to turn the water off; and I have this intense urge to kick him. I have to fight really hard to suppress it though.

He turns back around. "Ready?"

"No. I want to know what you said to Oliver," I answer immediately.

_'Did he just roll his eyes at me?'_

"Just get in Chloe."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare strait into his eyes and refuse to budge. He adopts the same stance and takes it a little further by arching an eyebrow at me. He's so stubborn. What does he expect me to do anyway, strip in front of him?

"I just got dressed," I answer before promptly turning on my heels and making my way back toward the bed. I should've never left it in the first place.

"Clark!" I scream and try to get out of the tub; but he holds me in place.

I _hate _superspeed. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it; and I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna find a piece of kryptonite and I am going to _kill_ him.

"This is going to help you feel better Chloe; just relax and enjoy it."

I glare up at him.

_'Enjoy it?'_

"I can't _enjoy_ it," I say through clenched teeth. "It's freezing." And as if on cue, my teeth start to chatter.

He releases me immediately

"I'm sorry, I -"

"I don't want an apology Clark, just fix it!" I say hiding myself beneath the mountain of suds.

When he reaches over to turn the knob, I slap his hand away.

"No. Heat vision. Faster."

"I could burn you," he says while frowning down at me.

_'Definitely gonna kill him.'_

Trying to calm myself down, I close my eyes and mentally begin counting to ten.

At three I open my eyes. We're in the bed; I'm straddling Clark's lap; his arms are wrapped around me tightly; and I'm wearing nothing but a towel. I halfheartedly struggle to free myself; as awkward as this may seem to me, I already feel ten times better. He holds me firmly against him and wraps the blanket around us. When my shivering doesn't stop, he rapidly runs a hand up and down my back. I lay my head on his shoulder and press my body closer to his, accepting the warmth he's offering.

"Clark?"

"Hmm?"

"What did I do when I was infected by the cave parasite?"

He stiffens. I've ruined the moment. Sabotaged it really. It was starting to feel a little _too_ intimate for me. But that's not the only reason I asked. Sitting here like this reminded me of the last time I was in his lap, giving me an idea. I just need to be a little more clear on the details.

"Clark," I turn my head and face him. His jaw is in my direct line of vision and I watch his Adam's Apple bob as he swallows nervously. "We had sex?" I ask doubtfully.

"No!" he jumps; my blunt question taking him completely by surprise.

"We made out in the Talon," I state, not giving him time to recover. "Is that where Lana saw us?"

"Chloe..." he sighs.

"Is it?" I ask a little more forcefully.

He doesn't answer.

"It's a "yes" or "no" question Clark."

He just continues rubbing my back.

"Kal would tell me," I pout. It's a low blow, but it's important that I know.

His hand stills and he stares down at me. If he's waiting for me to take it back, it's not gonna happen.

He lifts a hand to my cheek and gently caresses it. Our relationship has always been this way; filled with intensely intimate moments. Anyone looking in from the outside would swear we're a couple.

I sigh and remove his hand from my face. It feels different now that we...it just doesn't feel the same. I lace my fingers with his to ease the rejection I know he feels.

"Just tell me," I smile encouragingly at him. He squeezes my fingers a little

"I took advantage of you-"

"Clark, I don't care about what _you_ did." I roll my eyes at him "I want to know what _I _did."

He frowns at me.

"When Lana saw us together, what did I do?"

I narrow my eyes at him when he doesn't answer. He seems even _more_ reluctant to tell me what _I'd_ done.

"That bad huh?"

He clears his throat; then, "you uh...you hurt her feelings a little."

I smile at him. Hurting Lana's feelings is not funny, but the way he tries to protect me from _every_ little thing is both annoying and endearing.

"What did I do?"

"Well...uh...you kissed me; and Lana walked in and saw us." Then he pauses. I know that's not everything.

"Go on."

"And I pushed you away."

"And?"

"I told her it wasn't what it looked like and you...said it was."

I frown as I think that over for a second. Poor Lana; it must've been like some reversed form of deja vu for her yesterday.

"and?" I ask once more. I don't really need to know more; but I'm willing to listen to what else he has to say.

"You might've mentioned to her that I told you my secret."

"Sounds like I was on red K," I yawn.

He looks down at me thoughtfully and begins rubbing my back again.

"Yeah but unlike me, jumping off the gorge would've killed you," he says sternly.

"I was going to jump off the gorge?" I grin, suddenly getting interested.

"It's not funny," he says, his eyes going wide and his hold tightening on me as he pulls me closer. His unconscious attempt to keep me safe and with him is touching, but I lay my head back down on his shoulder so he can't see me fighting back the laughter. I was really messed up if I was going to try to jump the gorge; and I'm so lucky my best friend's an alien.

"Chloe!"

Apparently, I was not so successful at hiding my laughter.

"I'm sorry Clark," I hiccup and press my hand against my mouth, muffling the offensive sound.

I can feel his hands move slowly underneath the blanket and I look up at him suspiciously. Then he smiles down at me.

"You want to laugh?" he asks.

I shake my head "no". I don't like the look on his face.

"Don't you dare" I say as threateningly as I can manage; but who am I kidding? Clark's like a hundred times stronger than me. There's no need for him to fear me. He can do anything he wants to me and I can't do a thing about it.

As I don't expect him to listen to me, I try to escape him. Unsurprisingly, I'm not fast enough.

"Clark! Stop!" I laugh and push at his shoulder when his fingers find my ribcage.

He doesn't budge, just keeps tickling my along my sides. I wiggle and squirm; he wrestles me onto my back.

"You're cheating." I can barely get the words out, I'm laughing so hard.

He just grins at me.

I try and turn over, slapping weakly at his hands.

He laughs at my vain efforts.

"I'm gonna kill you Kent! Get off!"

He begins to laugh just as hard as me. I would have thought it was impossible, but I laugh even harder. We haven't had fun like this in ages.

My eyes begin to water. "I can't breathe," I gasp.

He's off of me before I can blink.

"Hand me my phone will you," I hiccup while trying to calm myself down. I can't believe I'm _still _laughing.

"I…I didn't hurt you?"

I draw my eyebrows together; I still haven't got my laughter _completely _under control, so I can't really answer verbally.

"You said you couldn't breathe," he says before picking up my phone and handing it to me.

"It's hard to breathe when you're laughing so hard," I answer before giving him a slight shrug and fixing my towel around myself.

"So it wasn't me?"

"Nope," I answer before putting the phone against my ear.

"Who are you calling?"

"Oliver."

"Queen?" he asks while sitting down in front of me.

I just look at him. What other Oliver would I be talking about?

"Hello?" the sleepy billionaire answers.

"Ollie, you busy?"

"Ollie?" Clark says a little loudly and I clamp a hand over his mouth.

"Well good morning to you too Chloe," he says while yawning.

"Cut the crap Oliver; I know you've been awake for a while, unless Clark was lying to me when he said he visited you this morning."

"How'd you..._Oh_."

I roll my eyes as he draws the right conclusions. He's not dumb. I just hope he can keep his mouth shut.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Name it."

"I need you to forge some records and bills at one of your hospitals; oh and let me borrow one of your jets."

He whistles before letting out a, "that's a tall order Sullivan."

I press my hand against Clark's mouth even harder as I hear him murmur "Kent"; and explain what I want done in full detail. I don't think Oliver needs to know my temporary new last name. As soon as Clark comes to his senses, I'll be able to get that divorce.

"I'm sure you'll find something for me to do in order to pay you back," I finish.

"Of course I will, I'll tell the guys you say hello."

"Thanks Oliver," I say, then hang up. We don't really need to say goodbye.

"Why do you have Oliver's phone number?" Clark asks as soon as I put my phone down.

"_You_ have Oliver's number," I rebuttal

"But you have him on speed dial," he counters.

"_You_ have him on speed dial." I raise my eyebrows in amusement

"I work with him."

"You work alone." I scoff while getting out of the bed. I think I'll have that hot bath now.

He follows me. I ignore him and start turning the knobs.

"Chloe-"

"Relax Clark," I whirl around and face him. "We're just friends. Kinda like you and me."

"Yeah but you married me. You gonna marry Oliver too," he rebuttals before crossing his arms over his chest.

"I didn't marry you, I married Kal," I tell him.

"I am Kal," he angrily narrows his eyes at me.

"No you're not," I laugh. "But don't worry, I like you better."

He smiles.

I smile back.

He's so easy.

"So why do we have to take one of Oliver's Jet's? I can just super-speed us back to Smallville," he asks just as I turn off the water.

"Because _you_ my friend, just had surgery, and you'll be in the hospital for the next two hours."

He frowns at me.

"_I'm_ in the hospital?"

"_You're_ the one who was infected by the cave parasite, or at least that's what we're going to tell everyone anyway."

He looks skeptical.

"It'll be a piece of cake for you," I assure him. "All you'll have to say is, 'I don't remember anything'. _I'm_ the one who's gonna have to do all the work. Now come over here a second, I want to show you something."

When he comes close enough, I dip my hand into the tub and splash water on him. I know he's going to get my back, but I just couldn't help it.

"Hey!" he exclaims.

"You've got super-speed," I say, not feeling an ounce of sympathy. "You could've moved."

He smiles. "Super-speed huh?"

I laugh when we both end up in the tub. I figured he would splash me back or push me in, but here we are. He's lying on his back; fully clothed, shoes and all. His arms are loosely wrapped around me, holding my towel in place. That's what I like most about Clark; the fact that he never takes advantage of me under any circumstance. I don't even feel like I'm being disloyal to Lana, because this is the kind of thing we would do even before our…_marriage_. It didn't mean anything; but I never exactly told her either. She wouldn't understand.

I lay my head against his shoulder. "If you ever make bathwater for me again, this is what it should feel like," I yawn. He rubs my back soothingly and I quickly fall asleep.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

I know Oliver doesn't come in until season 6 but I need him to make my story work. Hope you'll forgive me.


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm sorry I'm not able to receive your call right now; but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back with you as soon as possible."

I hang up. I don't expect Lana to answer the phone for me. In fact, I called her phone _with_ the intention of leaving a message. But I can't do it.

Clark hugs me to his side and squeezes my arm sympathetically. He offered to be with me when I tell her; but I declined, and then I made him promise to let _me_ tell everyone that we're married.

"Clark! Chloe!"

I look up to see an angry Lois making her way towards us. Then, I take a step back so that I'm partially hidden behind Clark.

When Mrs. Kent said she'd send her new chief of staff to pick us up from the landing strip, she failed to mention she was sending Lois. I think she did that on purpose.

"Explain," Lois growls.

Clark looks down at me as I look up at him.

"Now!" she barks.

We both jump. Any other time, I'd laugh at the fact that Clark seems to be afraid of Lois despite the fact that she can't physically harm him. This isn't any other time.

"Well I uh," I stumble.

"I don't remember anything," Clark says quickly.

I glare at him. I have no idea why. He did exactly what I told him to.

Lois stands toe to toe with Clark and looks him straight in the eyes.

"You don't remember?" she asks condescendingly.

"No," he gulps.

"Well, start with what you do know," she pokes his chest in time to each syllable. That's seven pokes in all. Not that I was counting.

He glances down at me nervously. I shrug. Better him than me.

"And what the hell is this!" She exclaims. Then she roughly grabs my arm, yanks me towards her, and pushes my head to the side so that she can examine my neck.

"Clark did it," I say the first thing that comes to mind. It just happens to be the truth.

Clark rescues me from Lois's painful grasp shouting, "Careful Lois!". Then he pauses when he realizes what I've said and slowly turns around to face me.

_'Oops'_

"What? You did," I mouth.

"I suppose you don't know how that happened either!" she yells, dramatically placing her hands on her hips.

"Lois, I can explain."

We both sigh in relief when her phone chooses that moment to ring. As soon as she answers it, we begin to argue.

"What'd you tell her that for?"

"You don't think she already knew?" I whisper back fiercely.

"I...What if she didn't".

I roll my eyes at his answer.

"She knows Clark; she just doesn't know when and why."

We both look up when Lois honks her horn. Then we look at each other with raised eyebrows.

'_When did she get in the car?'_

Impatiently, she honks again.

_'I'm not getting in there with her.'_

Sensing my hesitation, Clark grabs my wrist and pulls me forward a little rougher than necessary. I almost fall, and glare up at him when he catches me. I'm sure he did it on purpose.

"Smallville!" Lois yells over at Clark.

Not once does she take her angry gaze off of him as he opens the passenger door for me. I just kinda stand there. I really don't want to sit anywhere within Lois's reach.

"I'm going; I'm going," I murmur when Clark gives me a little nudge.

_'Why can't he sit up front?'_

I glance over at Lois. She's watching Clark get in through the rear view mirror. Her eyes are narrowed; her teeth are clenched; and her knuckles have turned white due to her tight grip on the wheel. Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea for Clark to sit up front. Lois will start to wonder why she hurts herself every time she hits him.

I quickly put on my seat belt as she abruptly reverses out of her parking spot, nearly backing into an oncoming car.

"Watch where you're going!" she yells behind her and honks her horn. "Some people!" She exclaims.

I look out the window, knowing she's referring to me and Clark, rather than the person behind her.

"Uh, Lois."

I glare back at Clark. Doesn't he know how dangerous it is for us to talk to Lois right now?

I frown as he leans up in his seat and hesitantly reaches forward, before thinking better of whatever he was planning and snatching his hand back.

"Lois?" he repeats.

I look over at her and nearly faint. Lois is rummaging through her purse. With both hands! The steering wheel is cradled between her knees and she's not watching the road.

'_We're gonna die.'_

I look up ahead. The light is yellow. I hope we make it.

It turns red.

Clark leans forward and tries to grab the wheel. Lois slams on her breaks and faces him.

"Don't you dare lecture me right now Smallville! I deserve one after the hell you two put me through."

_'Deserve one what?'_

I notice for the first time Lois is holding a cigarette.

_'Not good.'_

"Do you, or do you not have my phone number?" She yells at Clark.

"I have-"

"Of course you do! So the next time you decide to take _my_ little cousin on a road trip, call me!" She yells before taking a long drag from her cigarette. It's not lit. Lois quit smoking years ago.

The people in the next car over are staring at her. Some are laughing. Under any other circumstance, this might be funny to me too. But it's not. It's actually really scary. Obviously Clark thinks so too.

"I-I promise to call next time L-Lois," he stammers.

"Damn right you will," she says while poking him in the chest with the cigarette and throwing it back into her purse. There's no doubt in my mind that Lois wishes the cigarette was lit, if only to burn Clark when she poked him.

"That goes for you too missy!" she turns on me.

"I will," I quickly promise.

My phone starts vibrating then, and I'm tempted to ignore it. But it might be someone important.

And it is. It's a text message from Lana telling me to meet her at the diner.

"Lois," I sigh.

"What?" She's still in a grumpy mood.

"I need you to drop me off at the dorm."

"What! Why?" Clark panics.

I look back at him. I can understand why he doesn't want to be alone with Lois but...

"I have to meet Lana," I tell them.

"I can go with you," Clark offers selfishly. He just doesn't want to be left alone with Lois.

"No Kent, you're staying put," Lois scolds before turning her attention onto me. "But don't think I'm finished with you yet young lady."

I attempt a smile, but I'm suddenly really nervous. I can't wait 'til this part is over; and I hope that Lana doesn't kill me.

When Lois pulls up to the school, I take a deep breath and unbuckle my seat belt. She grabs me and hugs me fiercely to her for all of two minutes. Then she lets me go with a kiss on my cheek and a whispered "bye baby."

I feel like crap. I'm the only family she has right now. Her sister, Lucy, is on the run; her mother's dead; and her father's never really been there. I should have at least...Well, I couldn't have called. Kal left my phone. But I should have figured _something _out.

"Smallville, get up here!"

I turn around briefly to see Clark refusing to sit up front with Lois. I smile and keep walking. She's gonna get her way eventually.

And she does; but I wish it was a little later because I've left my car at the Kent farm.

_'Looks like you're gonna be hoofing it Sullivan.'_

It's a good thing the diner's just across the street. It doesn't take me more than five minutes to get there.

As I open the door, I quickly scan the booths for Lana. She's not here yet. This is good. I need more thinking time anyway.

I don't get any. I watch Lana open the door and make her way towards me a little less than a minute later.

My mouth goes dry as she gracefully sits in front of me and takes her shades off. She keeps her back ramrod straight.

I recognize this posture. I've seen her do it a million times when Clark's messed up and she's not planning on believing any of his excuses.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Her voice is strong; intimidatingly so.

"I…" I freeze. The cover story I've come up with is good. Believable, plausible, nearly flawless; but I can't seem to remember any of it. It's not like I've never lied to her before. I've got nearly a year's worth of lying-to-Lana-about-Clark experience; but this is a little more _intimate _than usual.

"So?" She prompts impatiently.

I exhale slowly and begin.

"Lana I'm sorry about what you saw yesterday; but-"

"I'm not interested in your apology Chloe," she cuts me off.

I frown as she shrugs and leans back in her chair. "How long?" She asks; and I instinctively know she's asking me how long Clark and I have been seeing each other behind her back.

I sigh. I already told her that we haven't been; but my word probably means a little less than nothing after what she witnessed yesterday.

"Lana, I meant what I said yesterday. It wasn't what it looked like. There's nothing between me and Clark," I start off, knowing she's going to need more than that to convince her otherwise.

She raises a disbelieving eyebrow.

"So, what? you tripped and fell into his lap?"

"Lana-"

"Oh I know! You had a boo boo on your lips and he had to kiss it and make it better right?"

"I-"

"You what?"

"Will you just let me explain!" I yell.

She snaps her mouth shut and glares at me. I immediately feel guilty for snapping at her. From where she's standing, it does look as though there's something between me and her ex. I shouldn't have lost my patience with her. She has the right to be upset.

"Do you remember about three years ago when Pete and I were infected by the cave parasites?" I ask.

She doesn't say anything. Just stares at me.

"Do you remember how it affected us," I try again.

She just keeps looking at me. She's probably wondering where I'm going with this.

"Do you remember how it made me act?" I try one last time.

She does remember. I can see the wheels turning and dots connecting.

"So you're saying that you and Clark were infected by the parasites again?" She asks disbelievingly.

"Not me;" I explain hurriedly. "Just Clark. He came to see me and I noticed he was acting strange. It took me awhile; but I recognized the symptoms and tried to make him go to the hospital, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Why didn't you call me?"

_'Because you're slightly suicidal; because you cry whenever I mention his name; because you wouldn't have been able to help in any way; because what I'd just told you was a lie to begin with...'_

"I did Lana, but he took my phone from me and accused me of trying to call the hospital," I make up on the spot.

She looks as if she wants to believe me; but then:

"I understand why he was kissing you; but why were you kissing him back?"

I look down at my lap. I really wish she hadn't asked me that.

"I wasn't exactly kissing him," I start off. I can feel her staring at me; waiting for me to explain; so I take a deep breath and look her in the eyes. "He told me the only way he'd go to the hospital was if I-"

"You kissed him," she finishes.

"No." I say simply.

She raises her eyebrows.

"He wanted to play a game." I continue while maintaining eye contact. I'd learned long ago that when lying to someone you're close to, it's best to stick as close to the truth as possible. It makes it easier to remember said lie later if asked about it. Otherwise I would've gone for the easier version; the one where Clark made me kiss him in order to get him to the hospital.

I take a deep breath before pressing on with my explanation. "He showed me a little pebble he'd stolen from Maddie's rock collection; put it in his mouth, and told me that if I could take it from him without using my hands, he'd go to the hospital. Lana," I say grabbing her hand when she looks away. "You have to believe me when I say I really didn't want to do it. I just..." I sigh deeply; not just for dramatic affects, but because I really do feel sorry for her. "He told me that Pete and I were going to jump the gorge when we were infected, and I remembered the way Travis jumped to his death at the party; and I just didn't want anything to happen to Clark. I was worried. I'm sorry," I sincerely apologize, but not for what she thinks I'm sorry for.

"Clark's always been good at hiding his feelings," She whispers while tugging her hand from my grasp and looking down at her lap.

I furrow my brows.

"Feelings?"

"He obviously has feelings for you if he came to see you..."

"And not you," I finish for her.

She shrugs meekly.

"Lana," I sigh, getting out of my seat and kneeling down beside her. "We share the same dorm room. What if he did come to see you?"

She looks at me hopefully; and even though it was a lie I made up to make my friend feel better, I can't help but wonder if it's true.

She gives me a small smile and I hug her tightly, vowing to do whatever it takes to get that divorce, because I don't have the heart to tell her what else I've done.


	11. Chapter 11

"But why not?" I ask for I'm sure must be the hundredth time.

"For the hundredth time Chloe, No!"

Did I mention that hundred times thing might be literal?

"But _why_?"

_'A hundred and one times._'

"Why didn't you just tell her?" he asks exasperatedly.

"You weren't there Clark"-

"I offered to be."

"It would've killed her," I say ignoring his interruption.

He runs a hand through his hair and comes to stand in front of me. We've been up here for hours; arguing even longer. Or I've been anyway. We started off in his bedroom; and when he decided he needed air, I followed him to the loft.

"So if Lana was okay with this, would you still want a divorce?"

"Yes!" I exclaim truthfully.

"Okay then...wait," he furrows his eyebrows. "What?"

"Yes," I repeat.

"Yes, you'd still want to be married, right?"

"No," I say firmly. "Yes, I'd _still_ want a divorce."

He narrows his eyes at me.

"Why?"

"Why? Clark does it really matter _why_?" I ask impatiently. I really don't have time to babysit his ego.

"Yes, it does matter," he answers before crossing his arms over his chest.

I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. I don't open them until I hear Clark sigh and sit down on the sofa.

"Even if I wanted to give you a divorce, it wouldn't be easy," he says.

I stare at him; waiting for him to continue.

"We were married in Canada" he says as if it explains everything.

It doesn't mean a damn thing to me.

"And?"

"Canadian grounds for divorce are: cruelty, adultery, or being separate for a year."

"And?"

"That's it."

"Just those three?"

"Just those three."

I think this over for a bit.

"Did you know that before or after we got married?" I ask him.

"Before," he answers slowly.

"You did this to me on_ purpose_?" I ask. I can't believe he purposely trapped me into a marriage. He's supposed to be my friend!

"We can always try being separated for a year," he smiles at me.

"I can't wait a whole year Clark!" I answer through clenched teeth. I'm not as amused as he is.

"Well, the only other way is through cruelty or adultery."

"So commit adultery so I can get a divorce!"

"No."

"Fine! I will."

"I still won't divorce you."

"Clark!"

"Chloe!" he mimics.

"Divorce?"

Both of our heads snap towards the stairs. I hope Clark knows CPR, because short of dialing 911, I don't know what else to do if Mrs. Kent has a heart attack.

"You two are married?" she asks while grabbing a hold of the railing for support. "How?...When?"

"Hi Mrs. Kent," I say while approaching her slowly. "I uh...It's getting late, so I should probably start heading home."

I try to walk around her; but she doesn't budge.

"This happened last night, didn't it?" She ignores my efforts to get past her. Evidently she's not to be deterred. "Clark!"

"Mom I-"

"Don't be mad at him Mrs. Kent," I interrupt. I don't know why I'm defending him. I'm super pissed at him right now; but I suppose it just comes natural to me. "It's not his fault. I agreed to do it. I didn't think it would be such a good idea to leave him alone while he was infected. Who knows the damage he could've caused."

"But this is _marriage_...and did you two...?"

"Mom!"

I look down at my feet. I'll let Clark answer that one.

"Chloe?"

_'Damn.'_

I take a deep breath before looking up at her. "I did what I had to do," I say simply.

Her face softens.

"Oh Chloe," she whispers.

I don't like this. I'd rather she yelled at us again, than pity me.

"Hey," I shrug. "At least we now know of a different way to rid him of red K."

"Chloe!" they both reprimand me.

"What?"

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that, but I needed to lighten the mood. This is a laugh or cry situation for me; and I refuse to cry.

"Look, I meant what I said about doing what I felt I had to; and if I had to do it over, I'd do the same thing, but it's over now. I held up my end by doing everything Kal asked, so why can't I have a divorce?"

"Because_ I_ never promised you a divorce," Clark says stubbornly.

This is getting me nowhere.

"Clark," I say trying a different approach. "What if I meet someone?"

He cocks his head to the side and regards me thoughtfully. "I never thought of that."

"Why? Because you thought I'd have a schoolgirl crush on you for the rest of my life?"

"No-"

"Did you think I wasn't ever going to be able to meet someone?"

"No I-"

"You know, just because you've never been able to see past Lana, doesn't mean other guys don't look at me. In fact-"

"Chloe! That wasn't what I meant. I just didn't think that far ahead. I'm sorry."

I smile inwardly. I know he didn't mean anything by what he'd said earlier, but a little guilt can make Clark do a lot of things.

"So, you'll give me a divorce?"

"If you meet someone, I'll give you a divorce."

"Gee thanks Clark, but it's kinda hard to meet a good guy when you're already married."

He shrugs. "It's the best I can do."

I begin to move toward him. I know I can't harm him physically, but I'm gonna damn sure try.

I still completely when Mrs. Kent places a hand on my shoulder. I'd forgotten she was here.

"I understand where you're coming from Chloe."

_'Finally.'_

"But I also understand why you don't want to give her a divorce," she says while looking over at Clark.

I feel my whole body deflate. I'd gotten my hopes up too soon.

"I can't say that I'm happy with any of this, but I trust you two will work it out. Don't let this ruin your relationship. You need each other. Always remember that."

She pats me on the shoulder sympathetically and leaves.

_'Great, even she doesn't believe I'll be able to convince Clark to give me a divorce.'_

I lean over the railing and hang my head. I just might have to tell Lana about me and Clark. Maybe she'd be able to talk some sense into him.

The more I think about it, the better it sounds. It has to work. Clark can never resist Lana.

"Chloe?" Clark calls before laying a hand on my back.

"Don't touch me," I shrug his hand off of me firmly. "You've done enough of that already, dontcha think so?"

He flinches and I can see that I've hurt him. I realize he was just concerned about me leaning too far over the edge and possibly falling; but the prospect of telling Lana I'm married to Clark has got me on edge.

"I'm going home." I suddenly announce. "I'll call you tomorrow."

_'If I'm alive; I just know Lana's gonna skin me alive'_

"Chloe, don't you think you should just stay the night here at the farm? By the time you get back to the dorm it will be nearly one in the morning. That's too late for you to be out."

"No Clark," I spit at him. Has he lost his mind? "I don't think I should stay here at the farm."

And as if I'm trying to prove it, I walk past him and start down the stairs.

"Well I think you should," he says while following behind me.

I ignore him and keep walking.

When I get to my car, he's right behind me.

When I open my car door, he shuts it.

I glare at him and try again. He shuts it _again_.

"I can do this all night Chloe."

I close my eyes. "Clark please," I whisper.

"Fine," he relents.

I get in my car and start it before he changes his mind. It doesn't do me any good. When I look over, he's in the passenger seat. I clench my teeth and refuse to acknowledge his presence.

'_It's gonna be a long and silent ride,'_ I think to myself..

And it really was; but after a while I begin to get aggravated with him. Not once has he taken his eyes off me since he got in the car.

"Stare any harder Clark, and you'll literally burn a hole through my skull."

He shifts so that he's facing the window. I relax and exhale slowly.

"Are you mad at me?" he asks before quickly glancing at me, then turning to stare out his window again.

_'Dammit. If I was, I'm not now.'_

"No Clark, I'm not mad at you," I say out loud.

He grins at me and I smile back.

_'Damn him and his stupid Kent charm.'_

He leans over and kisses me on the cheek.

"Clark! I'm driving!" I say while ducking away from him.

"We're already here Chloe," he frowns.

I look up. We _are_ here. I hadn't noticed.

"Well, goodnight," I say while turning off my car.

"Do you want me to"-

"No! No Clark, I'll be fine," I answer quickly and get out of the car before he can finish his offer to walk me up to my room.

"Okay," he says while getting out of the car as well.

I hold my breath as he approaches me. Hopefully he hasn't decided to walk me up to my room anyway. He's stubborn like that.

"Are you mad at me?" Clark asks me again just as he comes to stand directly in front of me.

"No," I answer with a frown. I already told him that I wasn't.

"So, are we okay?" he asks.

I frown at him. That was basically the same question he _just _asked me; and I'm about to tell him so when I notice the look in his eyes. I'm not sure what it means; but it's…intense.

"Chloe?"

Right. I haven't answered him.

"Yeah Clark, we're okay," I answer with a bright smile. He blinks at me, probably confused because I was frowning not even a full second ago.

"Okay," he sighs. Then he nods his head once and turns his back on me.

"Clark?"

"Don't worry; I'm just going to watch until you get to the door. Then I'll leave you alone."

I take a step toward him and grab his arm.

He doesn't look down on me like I expect him to. He just keeps staring in the direction of my room.

I walk around until I'm standing in front of him.

"Clark?"

"Yeah," he sighs, finally looking down at me.

I stand on my tip toes and wrap my arms around his neck tightly; giving him the most honest hug I can possibly give him.

I understand now. He wants to know if I'm okay with what's happened between us; if we're still the best friends that we were before the marriage…and the honeymoon.

Doesn't he know I'll always be his friend? It's him growing out of our friendship that I'm worried about. There's only a short amount of time before he realizes he wants Lana again; and he won't be able to have her if he's married to me. _That's _why I want the divorce so bad; to protect myself from the inevitable.

"We're okay Clark," I whisper sincerely. It's in my thought that I tact on the "for now". He would have heard me if I had mumbled that under my breath.

When he wraps his arms around me and pulls me up closer to him, I smile. It's good to know that Clark cares about me so much, even if he does love Lana more.

I hold on to him until _he_ lets me go quite a few minutes later. Instinctively I knew it's what he needed; and if I'm honest with myself, I didn't want to let him go anyway.

"Good night Chloe," he whispers with a gentle smile aimed my way. I smile back, tell him goodnight, and kiss his cheek before heading toward the dorm.

When I get to the door I wave at him, he waves back and disappears.

I climb the stairs really slow, stalling for as long as possible; then I sigh when I get to the door.

_'Here goes'_.

I gasp at the sight before me. Lex and Lana are standing face to face, their lips merely a breath apart; and Lex's right hand is tenderly caressing Lana's cheek.

They jump apart.

"Chloe!"

I smile at Lana.

"Hey Lana...Lex."

Lex smiles at me. It gives me the creeps.

"I was just on my way out," he says while walking towards the door. "Goodnight ladies"

I shut the door and lock it behind him without telling him goodnight. He probably noticed; but I don't care.

"So...you're home late," Lana says a little nervously.

I decide to give her a break, and not mention how utterly stupid it would be to dive into relationship with Lex Luthor.

"Where were you?" she asks.

"The Kent farm," I say while taking off my blouse, and changing into a t-shirt.

"You mean you were with Clark."

"No Lana," I say tiredly. "I mean I was at the Kent farm. Look, Clark is my best friend, but so are you. Please don't make me chose."

I get into bed, and but before I can close my eyes, Lana comes and stands right in front of me.

"And if you had to choose, how long would it take for you to pick Clark."

I blink up at her.

"Weeks? Days? Hours?" she arches an eyebrow. "Minutes?... Or would it even take that long?"

I just stare at her. You'd think it was a rhetorical question, but she's actually waiting for an answer. Problem is, we both already know the answer. She just wants to see if I have the guts to admit it.

"Lana," I start off carefully. "No matter how long it takes, it doesn't make the decision any easi-Where are you going?" I ask as she turns to leave the room before I've finished.

I lay back down. It was a stupid question really. I know where she's going, and I'll deal with him in the morning.


	12. Chapter 12

The first part of this chapter is taken from Season 5 episode 18's "Fragile". And there's a tiny bit in here from season 9 episode 12's "Warrior"

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

"Chloe."

Lex closes his laptop as enter his study room and briskly make my way toward him. He's up to something illegal. I'm sure of it; but I don't care about what it is. Right now, I care about my friend more.

"I know your moral compass has a tendency to veer off course, but taking advantage of Lana when she's at her most vulnerable is despicable," I say just as I stop a few feet in front of him.

He walks over to his pool table and sets the drink he'd been nursing down.

"I think your reporter's eye is getting a little cloudy. You're starting to see things that aren't there."

When he focuses his attention on the table, I step closer to him. I'm not really one for being ignored.

"I don't have to work for the DWP to know there was enough electricity in that room to light up the entire state of Kansas," I rebuttal.

He looks up at me and snorts. "It's interesting how perceptive you are about affairs of the heart considering...you've never actually _been_ in a serious relationship."

I ignore his attempt to offend me. I'm too focused on the task at hand.

"Do you really think that Lana would be remotely interested in you if she wasn't swept up in her own emotional tornado? I mean honestly..." I scoff at him; not even needing to finish the rest of that sentence. No one would have a hard time catching onto what I meant by that.

He gives a little laugh and walks around the table to stand in front of me.

"I appreciate you looking out for your friend. I'd do the same, but you concern is unwarranted. We're friends. Nothing more."

He tries to go back to his game; but I don't move.

"Lex, I know you're used to getting whatever you want without even thinking about the consequences, but I promise you..." I lower my voice and enunciate every word so he can understand just how serious I am. "If you hurt my friend, there will be a consequence. And you're looking at her."

I turn to leave then. I have no problem seeing myself out.

"Mrs. Kent."

I freeze just as my hand closes around the doorknob.

_'Did he just...?'_

Slowly, I turn around and face Lex. He's smiling at me. Arrogantly, he folds his hands over the tip of his pool stick and rests his chin on top.

"I wonder how much it will hurt Lana when she finds out you've married Clark?" he smirks.

"Go to hell," I say slowly.

His smile drops. I hope it's because he knows I mean every word. And I do. I hope the son of a bitch fries.

I slam the door behind me when I go. It was unnecessary; he already knows I'm pissed.

By the time I get to the farm, fear and panic have replaced the anger I'd been feeling before.

"Clark!" I yell once I've entered the barn.

"What is it?" he asks suddenly appearing before me.

"Lex knows!" I say without preamble.

He gently lays his hands on my shoulders.

"Chloe, are you sure?"

I nod my head.

"How did he find out?"

"I don't know. I was just leaving the mansion and he called me 'Mrs. Kent'."

He gives me a bewildered look, and I realize he thought I was talking about _his_ secret.

"Clark, Lex knows we're married," I clarify quickly.

"Oh," he says; and I watch his face visibly relax.

"This is serious Clark!"

He frowns down at me.

"What were you doing at the Luthor's?" he asks.

"I..."

_'What was I doing at the mansion?'_

I quickly backtrack.

_'Right. Lex. Lana. Together. Bad.'_

"That's not...Don't change the subject!" I yell. It's my way of changing the subject too; but he changed it first so technically I'm just trying to get us back on track.

He looks at me for a moment; then narrows his eyes.

"Chloe, what are you not telling me?" he asks suspiciously.

I look away. There's a lot I'm not telling him.

"Chloe?"

"Forget it" I say and make my way towards the door.

He super-speeds in front of me, blocking the only exit.

"Move Clark."

"Tell me why you were at the mansion."

I fold my arms over my chest. "It's none of your business where I go, or who I see."

"You're my wife. _Everything_ you do is my business, _including_ where you go and _especially _who you see."

I stare up at him. "I can't believe you just said that."

He lifts his chin; defiantly refusing to back down or apologize. I know I could never hate Clark; so this intense anger I'm feeling towards him right now is both alarming and new to me. I didn't _want_ to get married! I did it to keep his alter ego from wreaking all kinds of mayhem on this planet. Those vows I made weren't...I didn't actually mean them.

And for him to use the "you're my wife" line; I just don't think he should be able to. It's not fair.

"Fine. I'll ask him myself." he says before zooming off.

I stand there for a few minutes; forgetting mobility is actually something I've already mastered.

When I finally do remember that I can walk, I leave the barn.

I take a shaky breath and get into my car. I'm not sure where I'm going to go, but that's the least of my worries.

What was I supposed to say anyway; 'Clark, I saw Lex caressing Lana's face last night.'? What if I'd been wrong? What if I'd overreacted and there really was nothing between the two of them. There've been plenty of times when Clark's caressed or held me in such a manner that would suggest there was something between _us_.

A few hours later, I'm standing at Oliver Queen's door. Normally it doesn't take so long to get here; but I took the scenic route.

I'm not even sure why I end up driving to Oliver's...who am I kidding? I know exactly why I'm here. I need to be alone; and this is the last place anyone will search for me.

I let myself in with the key Oliver had made for me not too long ago, then I jump when an arrow whizzes by my ear.

"Oliver! What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he smiles at me.

_'Duh.'_

I walk into the kitchen and grab a bottled water from the fridge.

"Help yourself," he says sarcastically before loading another arrow.

I smile at him and drain a quarter of the bottle.

"I thought you'd be out saving the world," I say; but it sounds more like I'm asking him _why _he isn't out saving the world.

"Slow day," he shrugs.

I sit on the counter and watch him for a while. He hits bulls eye every time.

"Can I try?"

He arches an eyebrow at me and holds the weapon out to me.

Awkwardly I take it from him. I'm not exactly sure how to hold it; but I don't exactly take a lot of time to figure it out either. I just want to hit something with a dangerous weapon.

Closing my eyes, I draw the arrow back and let go.

"Not bad Sullivan. Angry at someone?" he chuckles.

I look at the target and laugh. My arrow has lodged itself between said target's legs.

"Here," he says before adjusting my fingers, elbows, and even my stance. "Try this way."

He doesn't let go of my fingers or elbow; and I'm reminded of the time my dad taught me how to ride a bike. He ran alongside me, holding my seat and handle bars until he felt I was ready for him to let go.

I smile up at Oliver, he smiles back and nods his head towards the target. I take a deep breath and let go. Bulls eye.

"Yes!" I exclaim.

Oliver laughs. "Not bad, not bad. Now try without my help," he challenges.

"Okay." I say confidently. I load the arrow and hold the weapon the way he just taught me.

Bulls eye.

"Wow," he lets out a low whistle. "Again" he commands.

I oblige.

Bulls eye. Bulls eye. And another bulls eye.

He takes the bow and stares at me thoughtfully before saying, "You're a quick study".

He's impressed.

"I'm not really. Just pissed off at Clark and imagined it was him there instead of the wooden man," I say, quickly letting him know that I probably won't be able to do it again. Ever.

He laughs at me. He doesn't need me to elaborate. He knows just how frustrating Clark can be sometimes.

"Teach me something else," I demand.

"What else do you want to learn?"

I think for a moment. "Teach me how to fight."

He narrows his eyes at me. "Chloe,"-

"Nothing fancy," I supply quickly. "Just a few self-defense moves."

He considers me for a second; then suddenly grins. It makes me nervous.

"You know, that's not a bad idea."

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

This isn't fun. Ollie's having too much fun playing Sensei.

"I think I'll crash here tonight. I'm too tired to drive home." I collapse on the mat and refuse to move.

"Up Sullivan!"

I frown. He sounds like a drill Sargent. I want my friend back.

"_Ollie,_" I whine as he pulls me to my feet and hands me a towel.

"Hit the showers," he barks, playfully swatting my behind and causing me to stumble. "What?" he asks visibly suppressing a grin when I glower back at him. "It'll make you feel better."

I don't see how standing for a second longer could make me feel better. I'd rather just lay on the floor and never get up. _That _will make me feel better.

But once I g0t into the shower and let the hot water run over my skin, I realized he was right. I feel much better now that I've showered. I just won't tell him that he was right.

I wrap a towel around myself and wrinkle my nose at my sweaty clothing on the floor. There's no way I'm putting those things back on.

I make my way down the hallway and into Oliver's bedroom. I realize I probably should've knocked first because he chooses that same moment to come out of his bathroom wearing the same outfit as me. A towel.

"Chloe?"

"I need clothes," I say quickly. "Mine are all sweaty". I nod my head towards his state of undress. "What's your excuse?"

"This is my room. I sleep naked."

_'Too much information.'_

He goes through his drawer and quickly pulls out a few articles of clothing. When he holds them out to me, I take the t-shirt and leave the shorts in his hands. I can't stop myself from rolling my eyes when he arches an eyebrow at me.

What's the big deal? It's a long t-shirt.

"Goodnight," I toss over my shoulder, shut the door behind me, and quickly walk down the hall to the guest bedroom.

I smile when my head makes contact with the pillow. It's been three days since I've had a good night's rest, and I intend on catching up tonight.

Buzz!

I groan. I feel like I just closed my eyes. Who the hell would be visiting Oliver this late?

Buzzzzz!

I get up. It doesn't seem like Oliver's making an effort to.

_'Why can't he have a normal doorbell like everyone else?' _

I tip toe into his bedroom and tap him on the shoulder.

"Oliver, wake up."

He rolls over and I have to avert my eyes. He wasn't joking about sleeping in the nude.

I cover him up and walk out of his bedroom. After shutting the door behind myself quietly, I jump and let out a startled squeal.

_There's someone in here_.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you!" he says quickly.

"_Clark?"_ I lean against the door and place a hand over my rapidly beating heart after recognizing his voice. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Chloe?"

He's probably wondering what _I'm _doing here as well.

I stand up straight as the door opens behind me.

"Chloe?" Oliver yawns. "What's going on out here? _Clark? _What's up?"

I look over at Oliver. He's wearing the shorts I'd left behind earlier and nothing else. At least he didn't come out here with what he was, or _wasn't_ wearing before.

I watch Clark look from me to Oliver and draw the wrong conclusion.

"Clark," I begin to explain, but stop myself as another idea comes to me. "Uh, Ollie, you can go back to sleep. I need to talk to Clark."

"Suits me," he shrugs and shuts the door behind him.

I walk into the living room. I know Clark will follow.

I turn around and face him. It's really dark in here, making it easier for me to say what I have to.

"You said when I meet someone..." I don't have to finish. With Clark's super-memory, I'm sure he remembers exactly what he promised me.

I hear him swallow.

"I see. Did you...have you two...?"

I could say yes. I _should_ say yes.

"No. We haven't...not yet," I say instead.

He's silent for a while. I kind of wish there was light in here right now so I could read his face.

"Call me when you do, and I'll file for a divorce," he says the last part quietly and zooms off.


	13. Chapter 13

Three weeks. It's been three weeks and Lex hasn't told Lana my secret; three weeks since I've spoken to Clark; and for three weeks I've been carrying his child.

"Here, let me get that," Lois says before taking my keys from me and unlocking the door. She's been doing that all day; opening doors for me, pushing elevator floor buttons for me, unwrapping candy for me. I know if she could, she'd walk and breathe for me too.

"I'm not an invalid," I hiss and snatch my keys when she holds them out to me.

She ignores me and opens the door. I don't scare her.

"_Smallville?_ What are you doing here?" I hear her say and I freeze. Clark's here?

"Lois! What are you doing here?" I hear him ask.

Although I can't see Lois's face, I can't imagine her saying, "my cousin lives here" without rolling her eyes.

"Chloe's not here. You might want to try Oliver's," he says bitterly.

Another eye roll I'm sure, as Lois steps aside so that he can see me.

"Chloe!" he exclaims.

I'm still frozen in the door way. The last people I want to see right now are Clark Kent and Lana Lang.

"I'm helping Lana move," he says guiltily while looking from me to Lana. He probably thinks it's hurting me to see them together. It's not. Lana has been getting better over the past few weeks. A lot better. She and Clark seem to have worked things out. I'm happy for her.

Of course, I'd be a lot happier for her if she wasn't dating Lex Luther; but there's nothing I can do about that.

Lois walks in and heads straight for the mini fridge. She's either ignoring or oblivious to the tension between the three of us.

"Why isn't Lex helping?" she asks.

"Lois!" Clark reprimands.

"Smallville, He's a millionaire or billionaire or whateveraire. He could've just sent some of his goonies to do it."

"He offered," Lana answers. "But I thought it would be kind of awkward."

Lois looks at Lana with raised eyebrows and snorts.

"Kinda like having your ex help you awkward? or a different kind of awkward; because"-

"Lois!" Clark and I shout together.

"What?" she replies so innocently that if I didn't know her I would have sworn on my life that she actually didn't mean any harm by what she just said.

I widen my eyes at her, non-verbally telling her to shut the hell up.

"Okay;" she says raising her hands up in mock surrender. "This is me butting out."

I sit down on Lana's bed and play with my keys. I'm not exactly sure what to do here. I'd help her move into the mansion; but I don't support her decision to do so.

"Here Chloe."

I look up to see Lois holding a bottled water and two tablets out to me.

"No thanks," I decline.

"Doctor's orders kiddo."

I frown. I'm really getting tired of her telling me what to do.

"No," I say refusing to reach for any of it.

"Doctor?" Clark inquires.

We both ignore him.

"Look, you're going to take these pills even if I have to force them down your throat; and don't think that I won't do it."

I snap my mouth shut, daring her to try.

"Lois? Chloe?" Clark tries to get our attention; but that's not gonna happen right now.

"Have it your way," Lois says before reaching for me.

"What doctor?" Clark asks a little louder.

"The one.."

"Lois!" I yell, when my cousin lounges at me.

"At the...dammit Chloe, hold still!"

"Get off of me!"

"hospital," she grunts while physically wrestling me down onto the bed.

"Chloe had to go to the hospital?"

Lois lets out a satisfied sigh when she successfully pins me down before answering Clark.

"Yes, but you'd know that already if you two weren't avoiding each other like the plague. Open up Chloe," she demands.

My eyes water. This hurts. A lot. She's straddling me; her bottom lightly resting on my stomach without applying any pressure. All of her weight has been shifted to her knees; which are resting heavily on the back of my hands. She leans forward, pressing the tiny pills against my lips; and when she does, her knees painfully dig into my hands even more.

"Owwww!" I scream.

She chooses that moment to pop the pills into my mouth; then covers my mouth with both hands. I should've just taken the damn pills myself.

"Lois! You're hurting her!" Clark yells before effortlessly lifting her off me and setting her down on the other side of the room.

I sit up and pat my chest. The stupid things went down the wrong pipe.

"Yeah well, she took the pills didn't she?" Lois glares at Clark; then makes her way back to me.

When she hands me the bottled water, I don't dare refuse it. I can only imagine that I'll end up drowning from the extreme lengths she'd take in order to make me drink it.

"Why'd she have to go to the hospital?" Clark asks.

I roll my eyes. I'm right here.

"She-"

"I got into a car accident," I interject. "A small one. I'm fine," I look at Clark when I say this and unconsciously cover my stomach. I don't know why. Should Clark decide to x-ray me, he'll be able to see through my arm anyway.

"_Fine?_ Chloe, you _fainted_ at the wheel."

I want to kick her. I'm sure she knows I left that part out on purpose.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Lana gasps.

I try not to roll my eyes at her. Didn't I just say I was fine?

"What does the doctor say?" she asks, sitting next to me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Doctor says I'm fine," I reply lightly.

"And pregnant." Lois mumbles.

"Chloe, you're pregnant," Clark says. It's not a question. He's just x-rayed me and he knows for sure.

"Lois!" I yell and stare daggers at her.

"What? They would have found out eventually. It's not like you can hide a baby forever." She pauses there and cocks her head to the side. "Unless...you weren't...oh god Chloe, you weren't planning on..."

I blink. Did she really just ask me that in front of them? In front of _him_?

"No!" Clark yells. I look over at him and inwardly groan. Just my luck. For a guy who's usually so slow on the uptake, how is it he's able to catch on to _this_ so quickly?

"Chloe," He says before grabbing my arm.

I snatch it from him. I don't want him touching me, especially in front of Lana.

"Look at me," he demands reaching for me again.

"Stop it," I smack his hand away and glance at Lana. I'm sure Lois has assumed Oliver is the father of my child, and is chalking Clark's erratic behavior up to his infamous hero complex; but Lana...I don't know what Lana's thinking.

I quickly walk over to the other side of the room, creating much needed distance between me and Clark. It would've made more sense for me to go the opposite way and just leave the room altogether; but I'm not thinking clearly at the moment.

I open up the window. Sure, I need air; but more than that, I need something to do.

I frown.

I can hear Clark coming up behind me. And fast.

"Chloe, don't," he says while grabbing my arm and whirling me around to face him.

_'Definitely should've left the room.'_

"Leave me alone!" I try and yank my arm away from him, but he's got a firm grip on it.

"Hey, Smallville! Hands off!" Lois yells.

Clark ignores her. I don't think he means to; it just seems as though he didn't hear her; it seems as though he wouldn't be able to hear a plane crashing into this room at this moment. His sole focus is on me.

"You can't," he says firmly with a shake of his head before grabbing my other arm. Then he stoops a little and locks his eyes with mine. "You can't," he repeats.

I look past him. Lois has her hands on her hips, and is glaring at the back of Clark's head. She's never really liked being ignored.

Lana is sitting exactly where I left her. I still can't tell what she's thinking.

"Chloe," Clark gives me a little shake, drawing my attention back to him.

"It's none of your business," I hiss, making an effort to free myself from his grasp. I don't mean it, I just need him to let go before Lana realizes what's going on. That's if she hasn't figured it out already.

"None of my..."

He tightens his hold on my arms and I wince.

"Smallville! What did I just-"

"This is my baby too!" he yells ignoring her.

_'Shit'_


	14. Chapter 14

Lois is the first to speak.

"Really Chloe? You and Smallville?" She slowly points from me to Clark and back to me again. "You two?" she asks again.

I really wish she'd stop.

I watch Lana warily. She hasn't moved a muscle yet. Not one. Frankly, I think she's in shock and may need medical attention. Literally.

"Chloe?" Lois walks up to me.

Clark finally lets go of my arms only to have Lois's hands replace his.

"Smallville?" she wrinkles her eyebrows. "Are you sure? What about Oliver? I mean...there's a good chance...right?"

I look down at my feet. There's _no _chance.

"_Smallville_, Chloe?" She asks again.

"What's wrong with me?" He asks defensively.

Lois stands up strait and looks at Clark as if he's just asked the stupidest question on the planet. He stares back, just as defiantly.

"_Nothing_, Clark." She shrugs. "It's just that _Oliver_ hasn't been avoiding Chloe for _three_ weeks."

She takes a step toward him.

"Lois, that's enough." I say looking guiltily at Clark. This isn't really his fault.

"_Oliver_ makes my cousin _happy_," she ignores me. "_Oliver_ isn't at his ex-girlfriend's helping her move. She puts finger quotations around the word 'move'.

"Lana and I are just-"

"_Oliver_ is there for Chloe when she needs him," She interrupts. "_Oliver_ was the one who called me after Chloe's accident because he couldn't go see her himself; _he_ didn't want her to be alone; _he_ was _worried_ about her."

"_Lois_, Stop," I try again.

"And do you want to know how _Oliver_ knew about the accident?" She continues. "Chloe called and told him. Did she call _you_?" She jabs him in the chest once with her index finger. "No? Do you see where I'm going with this yet Kent?"

He doesn't answer; just grinds his teeth and stares back at her. He's really angry. I just can't tell if he's mad at Lois or Oliver...Or me.

"So when's the wedding?" She demands.

Completely surprised by the abrupt change of subject, I snap my head up and sneak a quick peak at Lana. She _still_ hasn't moved

"Wedding?" Clark chokes. Evidently, he was caught off guard as well.

"Oh come on Clark, you are 'Smallville' after all; the world's one and only unwavering-moral-having, good-deed-doing, boy scout extraordinaire," She taunts. "You don't expect me to believe you'd knock my cousin up and not marry her do you?"

Clark looks down at me, silently asking for help.

"What if I don't _want_ to be married to Clark, Lois?" I try.

She chooses not to hear me.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she raises her eyebrows and continues to stare at Clark. Personally, I don't believe she expects us to actually get married. She knows Clark always does the right thing; but she still doesn't believe he'll agree to marry me in front of Lana.

If she only knew.

Clark looks down at me again.

_'What?'_

He wants me to tell her? Why can't he...oh...I'd forgotten. I made Clark promise to let me tell everyone.

I sigh deeply. He always makes good on his promises.

I clear my throat. "Lois,"

She continues to stare at Clark.

"Lois," I say again, but I stare straight at Lana. I know Lois will hear me even if she's ignoring me at the moment. "Clark and I...Well we.."

Lana finally moves. A little. Well, just her hand really, it's grip tightens ever so slightly on the mattress.

I take a deep breath. "Clark and I are already married."

She bolts.

"Lana! Lana wait!" I yell while running after her.

"Oh no you don't Smallville. You're not going anywhere until..." Lois's voice fades as I catch up to Lana.

"Lana, I'm sorry," I sincerely apologize as I grab her arm. She snatches away from me so forcefully that I fall backwards, landing on my bottom.

"You're sorry!" She screams towering over me.

"I-"

"Sorry, is what you say when you accidentally step on someone's foot; or when you accidentally run over their dog; not when you accidentally get pregnant by their boy-...Clark; and was it even an _accident_?"

I snap. Clark is _not_ her boyfriend. Clark isn't her anything; she's dating Lex Freakin' Luther. And it's not like she didn't date Clark knowing how much I lo-...liked him first.

I stand up quickly, taking her by surprise and causing her to take a few steps back.

"This is all your fault!" I yell, my hands balling into angry fists at my sides.

"_My_ fault?"

"Your fault!" I repeat firmly. "If you hadn't come in there that day, none of this would've ever happened!"

"I-"

"You were supposed to be in class!"

"I was-"

"You were spying! I told you Clark was coming over. You just wanted to see what we were doing. And when you interrupted us, he swallowed the damn rock; which meant I lost the stupid game he made me play, which meant he didn't have to go to the hospital! So, he decided he wanted to play "house" instead; and guess who had to play the wife!"

She straightens her back, making an attempt to regain her composure.

"Like it was that hard for you to do," She says icily.

"Excuse me?"

"You've always liked Clark. You don't honestly expect me to believe you didn't enjoy it," she spits at me.

I take a step toward her. She takes a step back. I've got everything I need right here; I don't need kryptonite to kick her ass.

"I don't _like_ Clark," I say taking two more steps toward her. She stands her ground. That's good; because I want her to hear everything I have to say.

"I love him. He's the best person I know, and he deserves the best. Whether or not it's you doesn't matter. I know you're the one he wants; I've even learned to accept it." I take another step forward. It puts me so close to her, our noses are almost touching.

"I can't tell you how many times I've asked him to file for a divorce; but he won't do it," I shake my head and scoff. "He feels too guilty about what he did to me. So, if I did _enjoy_ it, it wasn't worth it; because now all I've got to look forward to is my best friends hating me somewhere down the road because they can't be together, and raising a baby that I'm not ready to have."

I roughly push past her and practically run to my car. I mentally thank Lois for handing me my keys back earlier; otherwise this little grand exit of mine wouldn't have worked.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

I've been driving for hours. I think. I haven't really been paying attention to anything. Not to where I'm going, not to road signs and exits, not to time, not to anything. Just driving.

My car starts to splutter and I pull over to the side. Unfortunately, I haven't been paying attention to my gas meter either. Just great.

I get out of my car and take in my surroundings. It's dark, and cold, and I'm in the middle of nowhere. I pull out my phone and begin walking along the dirt road, searching for a road sign. Lois is gonna yell at me for days about this; but how's she going to pick me up if I don't even know where I am?

I frown down at my phone. No signal?

I let out a sigh of frustration and head back towards my car. I really don't want to see _him_ right now. I'd rather just sleep in my car, and think about what I should do in the morning.

"Damn it!" I swear when I try the handle. I've locked my keys in the car.

I scream various obscenities, in as many combinations as I can think of while repeatedly kicking one of my car tires. On a rational level, I know this isn't going to help me; but it's doing wonders to alleviate my stress.

When I'm exhausted, I collapse against my recently abused tire.

Minutes later, I begin to shiver. I should really stop being stubborn and just call him; but some part of me has decided I'd rather freeze to death.

I blow on my hands, and rub them together quickly. It doesn't really help.

I stand up, ignoring my aching body's protests, and start pacing back and forth.

My teeth begin to chatter as if to tell me that's not working either.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I yell at no one in particular when a huge drop of rain lands on my forehead. Hypothermia is sure to come if I sit out here in the cold rain.

"Fine!" I yell at myself.

"Clark!" I scream.

I shiver violently when he stops a few feet away from me, bringing with him a cold gust of air.

_'Why can't he slow down some before he reaches me?'_

"Chloe!"

I brace myself for the I've-been-worried-sick lecture.

He doesn't disappoint.

"Chloe, I've been looking all over for you. I thought-"

"I'm fine," I cut him off. I know exactly what he thought, and frankly I'm a little disappointed in him for thinking I would. The only option I actually considered was disappearing for a year, and then filing for a divorce. It was an extreme thought, I know; but I was never going to sleep with Oliver; and Clark wasn't ever going to give me a divorce. And then he would start to hate me eventually when he couldn't be with Lana again.

"My car just ran out of gas," I shiver involuntarily; pushing thoughts of how messed up everything will be when that day finally comes away. "Can you just take me home please?"

When he starts toward me, I take a few steps back. Don't get me wrong; I know that in order for Clark to carry me home, he has to touch me; but I know he's going to try and hold me instead. I can see it in his face.

"I'm fine," I snap.

"You're cold."

_'I know that.'_

"I won't be when you take me home" I reply.

"Okay," he agrees. He's lying.

He approaches me slowly, as if I'm a frightened bunny he doesn't want to scare away.

I watch him warily. I don't want him to hug me and tell me 'everything's going to be alright'. I want go home, take a shower, sleep, and maybe even try that escaping thing again.

When he wraps his arms around me, I keep my arms stiffly and stubbornly to my sides. I can feel him frown against my temple.

"Chloe, I could never hate you," he whispers.

I close my eyes. He heard everything Lana and I said to each other. I wasn't meaning for him to; but in a way, I'm glad that he has.

I open my eyes when I feel him drop to his knees before me, and put his hands on my waist.

"What are you doing?" I ask while pushing at the hands resting on my waist. They don't budge.

"I'm talking to my baby" he says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world before giving my stomach his full attention.

"Hey in there. It's daddy."

I look up at the sky and shiver. At least it's stopped raining.

I place my hands on his shoulders and nervously look around. I realize we're the only ones out here, but this is...odd.

"I think we're all going to be just fine. Mommy doesn't,"

I look down at him, curiously wondering where he's going with this.

He doesn't take his eyes off my stomach; and I get the feeling using his x-ray vision to look at the baby.

"Mommy thinks one day Daddy won't want to be around her anymore because I'm in love with someone else," he grins. "Mommy's a silly lady isn't she?"

I frown.

_'Who the hell does he think he's calling silly?'_

His grin slowly fades and is replaced by a frown and furrowed eyebrows. Reverently, he passes a hand across my stomach and sighs.

"Maybe Mommy's not so silly. Maybe, this is all Daddy's fault. Maybe, Daddy doesn't ever tell Mommy how much I depend on her, or how much I need her, or how much she means to me," he pauses for a second; absently stroking my stomach. Then his voice drops to a whisper. "Mommy means more to me than she'll ever know."

I sigh deeply.

"Okay Clark, I hear you," I whisper back

I don't think he's heard me. He doesn't answer; just lifts my shirt up a little and places a tender kiss on my bare tummy.

I try to stoop down so that our eyes are leveled; but he's holding me so close, I end up sliding down onto lap. I move my hands from his shoulders and place one on either side of his face.

"I hear you," I whisper again when he looks into my eyes.

"You really do, you know;" he says truthfully. "You mean more to me than you'll ever know."

I nod at him and smile. It's not an "I love you," but it works just as well as one for me.

He hugs me tightly against him, and we just sit like that for a good while.

"Clark?" I say after a while.

"Hmm?"

"You may have buns of steel, but mine are going numb."

"They _are_?"

I frown. I don't like the way he just said that; and with good reason too.

"Stop!" I squeal as he pinches me over a dozen times.

"What?" he laughs. "I just wanted to un-numb your buns.

I laugh even harder. I can't believe he really just said that. He wipes the tears of laughter from my face; there's a huge smile on his.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too Clark."

He places a quick peck on the corner of my mouth and stands up.

"Now, let's go get your car some gas," he says while pulling me to my feet.

"_Clark,_" I whine as he turns around, offering his back to me. I climb on. "We're _driving_ back to Smallville?"

"Chloe, I'm not carrying your car all the way home. I'm having enough trouble as it is carrying you. Did the baby make you gain weight already?" he asks, fake stumbling along the road.

"Screw you Kent," I laugh and playfully smack the back of his head.

"Hey!"

"Oh, shut up. You didn't feel that."

He laughs at me.

"You ready Mrs. Kent?"

I freeze. I really do hate super-speed.

"Almost" I wrap my arms and legs around him securely and bury my face in his neck. "Okay. Now I'm ready.

~The End~


End file.
